The Insurance Policy
by Elizabeth Robbins
Summary: Logan is hired to rescue the daughter of a Senator from white slavers. There's more to her story than he had been told. Can he lead them back home without getting one of them killed? Now complete
1. Chapter 1

The Insurance Policy

Disclaimers: Wolverine/Logan , Jubilee and Nick Fury all belong to Marvel. I am not making any money from their use. Tessa and Senator Westerleigh belong to me.

A/N: This story takes place between Jubilee #5 and Jubilee #6.

The man was shorter than average; not much over five feet. His build, however, made people look twice. He appeared to be somewhere between thirty-five and forty-five but the observer knew him to be much older. He was broad shouldered and powerfully built, with the muscles of a dedicated bodybuilder. People felt the power coming from the man almost as a wave or a scent. Men tended to back away, not wanting to have that power focused at them. Women tended to draw nearer, wondering if the power was sexual. He was a man of mystery. Men hated the puzzle, women wanted to solve it.

The observer watched the man's progress through the restaurant with a smirk. The reactions of his fellow diners were fascinating and he wished that he had the time to explore the phenomenon. It couldn't be his looks. He wasn't handsome. His face was craggy with lines of way too much pain over the years, shaggy sideburns flared out from his jaws. His black hair was windblown, coming to swept back peaks over each temple. He did have the most remarkable, piercing blue eyes that missed little in the room. The eyes were old and dead. The eyes revealed the danger in him. The observer knew him to be the most lethal man on the planet.

Although the observer knew he had been spotted by the man, he rose and waved him over. The little man sat down in a chair with his nose twitching.

"Oysters are bad," he said with a sniff.

"I didn't order any," the observer said. The other man grunted.

"Whataya want Fury?" the little man demanded with a low growl.

"Lunch first, Logan," Fury said as he opened his menu. A tall, gray haired man stopped at the table, gasping for breath.

"Sorry I'm late Nicolas," he wheezed.

"We haven't ordered yet Senator," Fury said as he stood and shook the Senators hand. Logan remained seated. "This is Logan. Logan, this is Senator Westerleigh."

"Logan," Westerleigh acknowledged as he stuck out his hand. Logan ignored the hand with a grunt and returned to his menu. Westerleigh drew back his hand and sat down scowling.

"Have you asked him?" Westerleigh directed the question to Fury while staring at Logan, dislike in his eyes.

"He just got here," Fury told him. "Let's eat first." The waiter came over to the table at Fury's gesture. Placing a beer in front of Logan, he got out a pad to take their orders. Logan nodded his thanks and swallowed half the beer in one gulp.

By the time they had gotten their food, the Senator was almost writhing in his seat. Logan could smell his anxiety. "Sit still," he growled. "Yer attracting too much attention."

Westerleigh straightened in anger. "Don't tell me what to do, young man," his voice low with hostility. Logan smirked. "Fury, there has to be someone else that can find her." Logan's brow climbed in amusement.

"Logan's the best," Fury said smiling. "He can find her and get her out. And he can do it alone."

"Oh please," Westerleigh sneered. "No one is that good."

"Logan is," Fury assured him.

"Quit talkin 'bout me like I ain't here," Logan interrupted. "What's the job?"

"The Senator's daughter, Tessa, and a friend went to Nuevo Laredo four days ago for some shopping. We traced her from the border check point to her hotel. She checked in okay but two nights ago, they disappeared. Her friend was found this morning with her throat slit," Fury told him.

"You want me to find her and bring her home." It was not a question.

"That's the plan," Fury said.

"There been any ransom demands?" Logan asked Westerleigh.

"Not yet," he admitted. "I don't think they know who she is. She goes by her mother's maiden name of Madison for safety reasons. There have been a number of kidnapping of American nationals in the Mexican border cities. The state department has just issued a travel advisory for Nuevo Laredo. I told Tessa before she left that this wasn't a good idea but she's as headstrong as her mother was."

"Any slavers or drug lords active in the area?" he asked Fury.

"Plenty," Fury snorted. "Ya can't walk down a street in Nuevo Laredo without bumping into a 'recruiter'."

"I need access to her apartment."

"What the hell for?" Westerleigh hissed.

"Best place to start," Logan said as he leaned back in his chair. "Need to get 'er scent."

"Huh?" Westerleigh asked surprised.

"Logan tracks by scent," Fury explained.

"Uh…."

"Trust me Senator," Fury said. "I wouldn't recommend him if I wasn't sure he could do the job."

Westerleigh pulled a key and a photograph from his wallet and dropped them on the table. "This was taken last year."

Logan drew them toward him. He slipped the key into a pocket. The picture was of a pretty brunette in her mid to late twenties. The resemblance to her father was remarkable. She had the same chocolate brown eyes and arched brows. He handed the photo back. "I won't need this."

"Here's her address," Westerleigh said as he wrote on a pad he took from his pocket. "Find her, before she does something stupid."

"Spitfire?" Logan asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"She was trouble from the day she learned to walk. Look for the nearest dust-up and she'll be in the middle," he said as he handed the paper to Logan.

He drained the last of his beer and stood. Shoving the paper into his pocket, he nodded to the men and left the restaurant.

"You better be right about him Fury," Westerleigh threatened.

"I am," Fury said as he drained his own drink. "If any one can find her, he can."

The apartment was on the top floor of the complex. It was a large, two bedroom with two baths. She was a neat housekeeper. Everything was in it's place, no dust bunnies running around. It may have been professionally decorated but she had placed her stamp on the rooms. Family photographs graced the walls. He noted several paintings in the living room of local sights that were signed with a flourish. Leaning closer, he noted that the scrawled signature was Tessa's. The paintings were beautifully done. She had loads of talent.

Taking a deep sniff, he began to separate the scents in the room. Dinner from the night before she left, oil from the paintings, faint cigarette smoke, furniture polish and the scent of four people filled his sinuses. He began to separate the human odors. One was a man, the smoker. The other three were women. One was faint, as if it had been weeks since she had visited. The other two were stronger. Tessa and her friend. Moving into the first bedroom he found her studio. The scent of oil paint was overpowering, masking every other scent in the room. An unfinished canvas sat on the easel. The beginnings of a landscape flowed across it. He could already see the mood she was in as she applied the paint; dark and angry. Interesting.

Closing the door, he went down the hall to the second bedroom. It was bright and cheerful with late day sunlight streaming in from the windows. An abstract print duvet covered the neatly made bed. The scent of oil paint was strong here as well. Pushing the distracting odor aside, he searched for the scent of the girl. Opening the closet door, he found what he was looking for; the laundry basket. Lifting a silk blouse from the basket, he brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply. There it was. The scent was light and pleasant. She didn't use perfume, only soap. That would make it much easier to find her. He hated trying to find a woman by her perfume. You had to sniff a lot of necks to find your prey. He tended to get a lot of action that way but it was distracting.

He returned the blouse to the basket and closed the closet door. Searching the room, he found a pad of paper and a pencil by the phone. He could just see the faint imprint of writing on the paper. Taking the pencil, he scraped it lightly across the pad. The writing became clearer. 'La Hacienda Hotel, five nights, $57.50 per night'. No phone number. Hotels in Nuevo Laredo tended to be cheap. This one was one of the best in the city.

He placed the pad and pencil back on the table. Lifting the phone, he placed a call to Fury.

"I have her hotel and her scent," he told him. "I don't want to rouse suspicions by crossing the border at night so I'll leave in the morning."

"Sounds like a plan," Fury agreed. "I don't have to tell you that this can't be public."

"They won't know I'm there until it's too late."

"Keep the body count low."

"No guarantees, Nick," Logan growled. "If slavers have her, they all die." He hated the white slavers that ruled the border towns of Mexico almost as much as he loathed the drug lords that ran the rest of the country. The new President was doing his best but the corruption ran very deep.

"Officially, I have to say that if there is any government connection, an attack by a Canadian operative is an act of war. Unofficially, I hope you don't kill them too quickly. They need to die as painfully as possible."

"I ain't a Canadian operative," Logan protested. "I left Alpha Flight a long time ago."

"They still have you on the roll as active," Fury told him. "They refuse to accept that you prefer to be an X-Man."

Logan uttered a few colorful curses. Fury just laughed.

"Be that as it may, Logan, you need to stay far under the radar with this. Her father will be running for President next year. His pro mutant policies make him important to you. Do this bloodlessly and I can say that you and yours may benefit."

Logan hung up after questioning Fury's parentage. Dealing with Fury always put him on guard. The head of S.H.I.E.L.D. always had a hidden agenda. All Logan had to do was figure it out before Fury got him killed.


	2. Chapter 2

"_italics"_: Translated from Spanish.

Nuevo Laredo smelled like any other Mexican border town; au de open sewer. Logan's inner beast was howling from the assault on its senses. He attempted to shut it up by feeding it shots of Tequila for several hours. The beast approved of the drink but still gagged from the smells. Ignoring the petulant grumbling from his other self, Logan made his way to the hotel. He decided to get a few hours sleep first. He would check out Tessa's room at night when the housekeeping staff was at a minimum.

He woke at midnight. Creeping soundlessly down the hallway, he found Tessa's room by her scent. He paused outside the door, listening. The room was empty. He popped a claw and slid it into the lock. With a deft flick, the door sprang open. He closed it behind him as he strode into the room. Maid service had been there. The room was clean and tidy. Her scent was three days old so she hadn't been back since the last time she called her father. He picked up the scent of two strangers, a man and a woman, both less than a day old, but no others. There wasn't any scent of fear or anger in the room and no sign of a struggle. She wasn't taken from the room.

He opened the closet and found her clothes hung in a neat row. Designer labels abounded in her wardrobe. The clothing was stylish but simple. He slid the dresser drawer open and found her underwear piled in like she had just dumped them there. It didn't seem likely. She was too neat to just throw expensive lingerie in a drawer. The maid or the bellboy had probably searched the room after she disappeared. He wondered what they were looking for. He closed the drawer and looked around the room.

A flash of metal caught his eye on the other side of the room. Walking over to the bed, he found a set of keys on the nightstand. Where ever she went, it was on foot. He pocketed the keys and went in search of the car.

The parking lot wasn't well lit, for which Logan was grateful. He would have looked like a fool walking up and down the rows, sniffing each car. He knew from the key that she drove an older model Ford but old cars were plentiful here. After fifteen minutes of searching, he found it. A red 1969 Mustang rag top in mint condition. He passed his hands lovingly over the hood. She had great taste in cars.

"_Can I help you?" _the question came from behind him. Logan had heard the man approach.

"_Just admiring the car," _he told the man. _ "We don't see these too often anymore."_

"_It's a beauty, isn't it?"_

"_It sure is. Do you know who owns it?"_

"_A guest at the hotel. I've been keeping an eye on it for her."_

"_I'm in room 513. Could you tell her I might be interested in buying it?"_

"_I'll tell her next time I see her."_

"_Thanks,"_ he said as he walked away. He had located one of the scents he found in the room. The man in the parking lot had been in Tessa's room in the last twenty-four hours.

He walked down the street following the trace of Tessa's scent still lingering in the air. His nose led him to a crowded bar five blocks from the hotel. The two girls were still together when they went in. Now to find out if they left together. He pushed his way through the crowd to the bar and grabbed a seat.

"Beer," he told the bartender. "And keep it comin." The bartender placed a Corona on the bar. Logan made a face but drank it anyway.

After his fourth beer, he began to question the bartender. He asked about the business and the city. The man was proud of his success and he had no trouble talking about his clientele. When Logan asked about American women, the bartender flinched slightly.

"They can be very aggressive," he claimed. "Three nights ago, I had to toss two of them out after they got drunk and were climbing all over my customers."

"How many did they have?" Logan asked.

"One of them had three beers," he said. "The other had only one. I guess they can't hold their liquor."

"Or maybe they had more than beer," he growled.

"No drugs in my place," the bartender protested. "I run a clean bar."

"Yeah," Logan said as he finished his drink. "I'm sure ya do."

He fought his way back through the crowd and left the bar. Looking around, he saw an alley running along side the building. It was dark and dirty. Trash cans were strewn around haphazardly. The scent of blood, death and Tessa hit him as the wind shifted. He weaved around piles of trash as he made his way to the end of the alley and squatted. A large pool of blood had dried in the dirt near the back of the bar but the scent wasn't Tessa's. Her friend had died here. A second, much smaller pool of blood that smelled strongly of the missing girl was in front of the rear door of the club. She was hurt. He stood and left the alley, picking up a tail as he went.

He slowly walked back toward the hotel, making sure his tail could follow in the late night crowd. He didn't want to loose them in the confusion. He had questions he wanted answered. He decided to take it slow and let them make the first move. He stopped under a street lamp to light a cigar and take a peek at the two men following him. A pair of police men paused to inspect a closed jewelry store as he stopped and puffed on his cigar. He opened his mouth and blew smoke rings at the street lamp over his head. The breeze brought the scent of the officers to him. Setting the scents in his memory, he turned and resumed his walk. Neither man made any attempt to stop him. 'At the hotel then,' he thought.

As he approached the hotel, his tail dropped off. The doorman opened the door as they turned and left. He picked up his key and went to his room. He showered and shaved then waited in the bed, pretending sleep. The attack came a hour later.

He heard the click of a key in the lock and tensed. The lights had been doused in the hall so he got a good look at the interloper; the guy from the parking lot. A gun barrel flashed in the moonlight from the window as the intruder crept to the bed. Logan felt the bed dip as the assailant placed a knee next to his hip. The cold gun barrel pressed against his temple. In a flash he popped the claws of his left hand and brought them up, slicing off the hand at the wrist. Blood sprayed over the bed, landing on Logan's face with a hot splash. His inner beast growled in anticipation. The man shrieked in pain. Grabbing his fiery wrist with his other hand, he fell to the floor, screaming in agony. Logan was on him instantly, his claws pressed up the man's nose.

"_Wrong move, bub,"_ he growled. The punk was wearing the uniform of a bell cap from the hotel.

"_Please don't kill me,"_ the punk begged.

"_Talk,"_ he snarled.

"_I was told to keep an eye out for someone looking for the girl,"_ the man cried.

"Who pays you?" He pressed down on the bleeding wrist.

"_I don't know,"_ he screamed. _"The money is left at the front desk."_

"_Why try to kill me?" _he asked, sitting back on the bed.

"_You ask questions. I was told to stop them,"_ he whimpered. _"I'm bleeding to death."_

"_Yes,"_ Logan told him flatly.

"_You're not going to help me?"_ he asked incredulously.

"_Nope,"_ Logan said, retracting his claws and leaning back to light a cigar.

"_Why?"_ he yelled.

"_You play the game, you pay the price. You tell me what they did with the girl, I might help you. You don't, you die."_

"_El Gato took her,"_ the man whimpered.

"_Who is El Gato?"_

"_Recruiter,"_ he gasped, loosing blood rapidly.

"_Where is he,"_ Logan growled. The man's lips began to turn blue as his blood drained onto the carpeted floor.

"_Bar. You went to last night. Office in the back. Help me,"_ he pleaded, his speech slurred.

"_Too late,"_ Logan said coldly.

He showered, dressed and packed his bag in less than fifteen minutes, ignoring the bloody mess on the floor. He tossed his key and a wad of cash on the front desk.

"Your bellboy snuck into my room this morning," he told the desk clerk. "You might want to have the maid clean him up." The sun was rising as he left the hotel.

He jumped into his Jeep and left town. He would need to rest and stay out of the way of the local police. He found an abandoned shack on a lonely stretch of road a few miles from town that looked like to may have been a hideout for the local kids and bedded down. He set his internal clock to wake him at sundown and drifted off to sleep.

He woke shortly before sunset to the faint sound of a heavy truck on the road. It was still far enough away that he had time to pack his bedroll and erase all traces of his nap from the house. The Jeep was hidden in a culvert a half mile behind the house so he didn't have to worry about alerting them with road dust as he drove away. He dropped his pack in the Jeep and made his way back to the house. He had just enough time to slip into the growing shadows before the truck crested the hill near the shack.

He could hear the shrieking of a very angry woman as the truck drew nearer but he couldn't make out the words. The truck grumbled past his position, gears grinding as the driver downshifted. Dust and diesel exhaust filled his nose, obliterating all traces of human scent. 'Damn,' he thought. 'Hafta do this the hard way.'

He waited for the truck to disappear over the hill two miles west of the shack. As soon as it was out of sight, he made his way back to the Jeep. The engine roared to life and he pulled the vehicle forward and up the side of the culvert. Pulling out onto the dirt road, he followed the truck. He thought about stopping at the next town and calling Fury but discarded the idea quickly. Fury wouldn't help in this. He couldn't afford to get involved in a kidnapping unless the victim was a danger to national security. As far as Logan knew, she was just the daughter of a high powered Senator, not a government employee. No, he was on his own and if he was caught, Fury would leave him to roast.

He drove through the night, keeping the truck in sight but in the distance. Just after four by his internal clock, he lost the truck on the hilly road. Curses colored the air as he backtracked to the last turnoff. He parked the Jeep on the side of the road and got out, sticking a sign on the windshield that said he was out of gas. He made his way to the turnoff, careful not to disturb the tire tracks. He found his own tracks, heading southwest but not the tracks of a large truck. He continued to walk, looking for the signs.

He found it three miles back. The truck had turned off onto a small, scrub covered road that looked too used in this back country area of Mexico. He bent down by a sage near the edge of the track and popped a claw and began to dig. About four inches down, he found a thick steel grid that reinforced the dirt road to allow the heavy truck to use it without becoming mired in the soft soil. Someone had a lot of money floating around. This kind of work didn't come cheap.

He sniffed the air experimentally. No clear scents yet. It was far off. He returned to the Jeep and grabbed his pack. He pulled a half dozen bottles of water from the cooler in the back and shoved them into the pack. He grabbed several packs of jerky from the glove compartment and jammed them into his pockets. Slinging the pack onto his back, he made his way back to the road.

He followed the road until the sky began to lighten with false dawn when he abandoned the open, exposed road for the safety of the scrub and rocks. He found a rocky outcropping far enough away that he wouldn't be spotted from the road but close enough that he could observe the traffic and hunkered down. He ate three pieces of jerky and drank half a bottle of water before opening his bedroll and climbing in, his senses alert to any movement.

He woke several times to the sound of heavy trucks on the road and twice to a horse patrol. The trucks he didn't worry about. They weren't a danger to him. The horse patrols he observed carefully. They were armed with high powered rifles with what appeared to be night scopes. Those were useless during the day but were a concern at night. He made a mental note to take them out at the first opportunity.

At nightfall, he began to move again, slipping into ultra stealth mode. He moved away from the road, following it at a distance. The horse patrols were not in evidence until later in the night. He found one pair by a stream as they watered their horses. He slipped up behind them silently and took them out. He didn't want to take the horses. That would make him easy to track so he tethered them near the stream. He grabbed the supplies and the guns from the saddles and left the area quickly. He buried the guns a mile away from the stream and added the supplies to his own.

An hour before daybreak, he saw a large warehouse in the distance, a power generating shack several hundred yards south of it. He decided that he would have a better chance of getting the girl out under the cover of darkness. He broke into the shack just as the sun was breaking the eastern horizon and hunkered down to wait. It was impossible to sleep there. Too many people passed by the shack to allow his guard down. He resigned himself to a restless doze when he could. He spent the time translating the labels on the power control panel and catching rats.

He waited until full night to act. He grabbed a rat in a gloved hand and lifted it to his eyes.

"Sorry bub," he apologized to the rat. "Ya just volunteered ta sacrifice yerself for the greater good." He jammed the it into the control panel, electrocuting the rat and shorting out the compound lights. Total darkness descended on the buildings. Shouts of confusion filled the air as he quietly left the shack and made his way to the warehouse.

He slipped through the door and began to work, quickly and quietly, a minimum of movement. The building was partition like a maze with steel walls. Not a problem. He never got lost. Scents floated to him on the recirculated breeze. He could smell four female scents. Two were unfamiliar. One was Tessa. The fourth… He began to growl in menace. What the hell was she doing here? She was supposed to be safe in LA with her aunt, going to high school, having a normal life. He worked faster, killing as he went. He cleared the building of any live body except the four he smelled earlier. He made his way to the center of the maze where he found a large steel bar cage holding three women and one pint sized pain in his ass.

"Jubilation Lee," he growled, "ya get yerself in ta more trouble."

The tiny girl spun around, crying "Wolvie!" A Genoshan collar sat heavily on her neck.

"How'd ya get collared this time?" he demanded, hands on his hips.

"Save the lecture and get us out," she hissed. "They'll be back soon."

"Nah," he said as he slipped a claw into the lock. "Only place they're going is ta hell." A quick twist of the wrist and the lock clicked open.

"Get this thing offa me," Jubilee said as she turned her back to him. He examined the collar closely in the dim light.

"Can't do it darlin'," He told her. "This is one that'll explode if ya force the lock. Gotta find a key."

"Where?" she asked. He pointed to the biggest concentration of bodies and she ran off. He turned to the remaining frightened prisoners.

"You Tessa?" he rumbled to the one he knew to be the Senators' daughter. She nodded warily. "Yer dad sent me ta find ya and bring ya home." She visibly relaxed.

"Thank God," she breathed.

"Got one," Jubilee yelled as she ran back to the group. She slapped the key into Logans' hand and turned around, baring her neck.

"Ya don't need ta yell, kid," he said as he fitted the key into the lock of the collar. He turned it and with a click, the collar opened. She grabbed the collar and flung it as far as she could throw it.

"I hate those things," she muttered. "Let's go. I'm missing school and I've already been suspended. I don't want ta get expelled."

"Do you know him?" Tessa asked her.

"Yeah," she said fondly. "He's only my best friend in the whole world."

"I love ya too, darlin'," he smiled, his eyes warm with love. Tessa was amazed. Here was a fierce, wild man who looked very capable of tearing the little girl apart with his bare hands, melting into a puddle at her feet. She shook her head in confusion.

The group worked their way to the door, passing several bodies as they went.

"Jeeze, Wolvie," Jubilee complained. "Did ya hafta kill em all?"

"Caught yer scent when I came in," he said chagrined. "Ya know what that does ta me. Douse the lights, will ya." Jubilee paffed the overhead light, plunging the area into darkness. He cracked open the door and peered out, sniffing.

"How many?" Jubilee whispered.

"Five," he gave a low growl. "None close. Stay low and work yer way ta the trees. Ya see anything move, freeze. Movement'll catch the eye. Wait fer me where yer safe. Jubes'll know where." He slipped off his pack and gave it to Jubilee. They all nodded and slipped out of the door and into the night. He watched as Jubilee directed the small group with simple hand gestures. He grinned, satisfied that Jubilee would take care of them until he could catch up. He slipped into the night, hunting the remaining slavers.

Jubilee lead the three frightened women into the scrub near the warehouse with carefully placed steps. She motioned for them to follow her steps exactly. A light flashed in the distance. She hit the dirt on her stomach and motioned the rest of them down. They lay there until the light turned and headed in another direction. She got up slowly and continued, keeping an eye on the light. It jumped slightly and disappeared. She'd found Wolverine. They continued to make their way to the trees.

It took them fifteen minutes to get to the edge of the tree line. She waved them in and told them to hide in a tree until she called. The women scattered. A twig snapped further into the forest. She crept off at an angle to investigate. She found two men and their horses at a small stream which ran through the trees. The men had dismounted and were standing together, smoking cigarettes and talking in low voices. She slipped behind a large live oak in back of the horses and waited until the animals had returned to drinking. When they were calm, she reached out with both hands and sent two small concentrated paffs into the horses' rumps. Squealing with pain and terror, they bolted out of the stream and into the trees, the men chasing them. She smiled with satisfaction. It would be several miles before they could stop the runaway horses and remount. By the time the men returned, they would be long gone. She went back to the others and climbed a large pecan tree to wait for Logan's return.

Ten minutes later, he was standing at the base of the tree, calling her down. She swung her lithe body to the forest floor and told the others to come out. The three women crept back to Jubilee, fearful of what they would find. Logan took his pack from Jubilee and hoisted it onto his back.

"C'mon," he said to them. "I want ta get as many miles between us and this place as I can." He started off for the road. Jubilee shrugged her shoulders and followed, the others trailing behind her.

"Suspended, huh," Logan said. "How'd that happen?"

"Got in a fight," She shrugged.

"Ya ain't supposed ta be fightin at school," he growled.

"Gimme a break," she rolled her eyes, "I was defending someone. The suspension was overruled by the counselor anyway. I got made a peer counselor instead. I hated that but I got outta it."

"How'd ya do that?" he asked suspiciously.

"I caught Ms. Kingsley and Mr. Avery making out in her office," she giggled.

"Blackmail," he said, nodding approvingly.

"Yep," she agreed. "Works every time."

They made it to the rocky outcropping by late afternoon where they stopped to rest. He gave them food and water and suggested they sleep for a while. Jubilee volunteered to take the first watch. Logan was tired enough to agree. He smiled fondly at the girl who was a partner and so much more to him as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay, Jubes," he said as they resumed their trek, "what happened?"

"They got me as I was going home from the mall on Friday night," she told him. "I was driving my scooter down the street when I ran over something and busted a tire. It's gonna cost me ta fix it. When I bent over ta look at it, someone grabbed me and slapped a cloth over my mouth. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in a stinky truck with two big Mexican goons pointing guns at my head and that stupid collar on my neck."

"Why didn't ya leave then?" he asked as he helped them up a steep incline. He'd trained her himself. He knew that two guards couldn't hold her for long.

"I was hog tied," she told him as they crested a rise.

"Hog tied?" he asked, surprised.

"Hands ta feet," she confirmed.

"Someone not only knew ya were a mutant but what ya could do without yer powers." he said thoughtfully. "Anyone in LA know about ya?"

"Just Aunt Hope and Shane." He flashed her a questioning look. "A friend and fellow mutant," she explained.

"What about you Tessa?"

"I don't remember much," she apologized. "Carol and I were in a bar in Nuevo Laredo. Next thing I know, I'm in a cage. I don't even know where they took Carol."

"I do," he growled. Jubilee's head snapped around to look at him. She knew that growl. He was pissed about something.

"Where is she," Tessa asked anxiously.

"Dead," he said in a flat voice. "Her body was found the morning after ya went missin'. Her throat was cut."

Color drained from her face. "No," she whispered. "Nononononono," her voice getting louder, hysterical. "It can't be true," she was screaming. "It's my fault." She ran from the group into the brush.

"Don't," Logan yelled. He dropped his pack and ran after her. His heart leapt into his throat when he heard the first hissing rattle. She was heading straight for the snake. His legs pumped faster He gave a tremendous leap, flying ten feet and landing on his belly in front of the fleeing girl just as the snake struck. He howled in pain as the fangs tore through his thin shirt and into the flesh of his right arm, pumping venom deep into the tissues. He felt Jubilee skid to a stop beside him, gasping. She acted quickly, sending a concentrated plasma stream into the snake, flash frying it instantly.

"Wolvie," she cried, dropping to her knees beside him and turning him to his back. She pulled his hunting knife from his belt and cut open his shirt. The wound had already healed but the venom was moving through his body with every beat of his heart. "Can ya handle this," she asked, worried.

"Should," he said through chattering teeth. He felt cold. He knew he was going into shock. "How big?'

"Four maybe five feet," she told him. "Had seven rattles."

'A snake in it's prime,' he thought. 'It'll have lots of venom.'

"Need time ta get it out," he gasped, pain blossoming through his body.

"It's all my fault," Tessa wailed.

"Yes," one of the other women said in heavily accented English. "You should not have run away."

"This man will die because of your thoughtlessness," the other Latina sneered. Jubilee jumped up and confronted them.

"He won't die," she yelled angrily. "He's not gonna feel too spiffy for a while but he won't die."

"We have no medicines," the first woman argued, "we are miles from the nearest hospital and he was bitten by a rattle snake. We cannot help him. He will die. And without him, we will die as well."

"Not Wolvie," Jubilee insisted stubbornly. "By morning, he'll feel much better."

The woman shook her head sadly. "You delude yourself, child." She walked back to the two women talking quietly together.

Jubilee stomped back to Logan's side in a temper. "You'll show 'em," she grumbled. He was sweating freely. Jubilee could smell the bitter tang of the snakes' venom in his sweat. Logan had fallen into a healing coma, his breathing shallow and rapid.

She searched the ground, finding several pieces of dead wood and gathered them together. Returning to Logan's side, she piled them together and paffed them. Soon, she had a respectable fire going. She opened his pack and took inventory of the supplies. There were four knives, a compass, a GPS locater unit, two canteens, four bottles of water and some food; not enough to get them back to the States. She hoped Wolvie would feel up to hunting soon. She hated hunting. She continued to dig through the pack finding several more useful items as the woman she'd argued with returned to her side.

"My name is Maria," she said. "That is my sister, Rosa."

"Jubilee," she introduced herself. "This is Wolverine."

"You know him well?" Maria asked

"He was my partner," Jubilee told her softly.

"He is a brave man," Maria remarked. "He saved the stupid Gringa's life."

"Wolvie's like that," she said with a small laugh. "He's saved my bacon a bunch of times."

"You are a mutant, yes?"

"Yeah. Being a mutant makes me a target for a lot of boneheaded bigots. I try not ta let anyone know what I am."

"You deny your nature because of closed minded people? Why do you do this?"

"People are afraid of what we can do," Jubilee explained. "The world isn't ready for us yet."

"The world was not ready for the power loom but it came anyway," Maria replied. "It started the industrial revolution and changed the world."

"I remember that from history class," Jubilee remarked thoughtfully.

"The world is never ready for revolution. It must be shoved down unwilling throats."

"That sounds a lot like Magnetos' plan," she told her. "I think differently. I believe that humans and mutants can share the world, peacefully"

"I am not sure that is possible," Maria said as she stood. "We must dig a grave. He will die before morning."

"No he won't," Jubilee told her. "Wolvie's a mutant too. He has a healing factor that will take care of the venom. He just needs time."

"We shall see," she replied doubtfully. "In the mean time, we will gather more wood and dig the grave."

"Count me out on the grave digging. I have faith in Wolvie." The woman nodded sadly. Jubilee settled down to keep watch over her best friend while he worked to clear the poison out of his system. Maria grabbed three of the knives and took the others to a flat area a short distance away. Jubilee shook her head and watched as they began to dig a grave that will never be occupied.

Tessa and the others had been working on the grave for over two hours before she decided to take a break. She made her way back to the camp site and grabbed a bottle of water. Taking a long swallow of the warm wetness, she sat down near the restless form of the man she expected to die shortly.

"How's he doing?" she asked the tiny girl curled up at his side.

"He stinks of snake venom and sweat," Jubilee said as she sat up, "but he's breathing better. He's sleeping now."

"I'm sorry, Jubilee," she said quietly. "This is entirely my fault. If I hadn't have run away, he never would have been bitten."

"Why'd ya panic like that?"

"I was the one that wanted to go shopping. If I hadn't convinced Carol to go with me, she would still be alive," Tessa told her tearfully, "and he would never have been bitten by the snake."

"If it hadn't been the snake, it woulda been something else," Jubilee said. "Trouble seems ta find us whenever we're together. Been that way since the first time I laid eyes on him, hanging on a cross in Australia."

"Hanging on a cross?" she asked her mouth open in surprise.

"Bunch of bad guys crucified him," Jubilee said. "I helped him down and took care of him until he was better. Been with him ever since."

"And he survived that?" she asked astonished. Maybe he would survive the snake bite.

"Almost didn't," he croaked from behind Jubilee. She snatched up a bottle of water and lifted his head. He drank a few mouthfuls greedily.

"Feeling better?" she asked anxiously.

"Yeah darlin'," he said in a stronger voice. "Ya can tell those two ta stop diggin'. I ain't gonna need the hole yet."

"Maria," Tessa yelled. "Rosa. Come over here." The two women abandoned their task and ran back to camp. They stopped short when they saw Wolverine sit up with Jubilees' help.

"How is this possible?" Maria asked as she crossed herself. Rosa mirrored the gesture absently as she goggled at the man she thought was dead.

"Madre Dios," Rosa exclaimed. "You are alive."

"I'm pretty hard ta kill," Logan said. "Help me up Jubes. I need ta wash the venom offa me." Jubilee braced him as he got to his feet. He sniffed the air, searching. "All I can smell is snake venom. Where's the river?"

"I'll take ya Wolvie," Jubilee volunteered. "I'll watch yer back while ya get cleaned up."

"Grab my clothes and anything that'll hold water," he instructed. "We need ta refill our water supply before we set off again." Jubilee left him swaying on his feet as she rummaged through the pack to get the requested items.

"Come on Wolvie," she said as she lifted his arm over her shoulder. "Ya don't have yer strength back yet so I'll guide ya. I wouldn't want ya up yet but yer stink'll scare the animals away and we need fresh meat."

"Yer all heart," he said sarcastically as they moved off toward the river. The three astonished women watched as he walked on shaky legs away from the camp.

"I guess we'd better fill in that grave," Tessa said. The other two women looked at her with eyes full of wonder. "It's not a miracle," she told them. "He's a mutant." They turned and went back to the hole they spent hours digging and began to fill it in.

Logan stripped to his skin and sat down in the middle of the shallow stream with a sigh. Jubilee watched him for a while to make sure he wouldn't fall asleep and drown before he finished washing, then walked a little way upstream with the bottles and canteens. The water was clean and clear and very cold on her legs as she waded in. Shivering, she opened the bottles and filled them. When she was done, she returned to where Logan was washing.

"Grab a handful of sand and wash my back darlin," he said as he sensed her return. She packed up the containers and waded back into the icy stream.

"Got any chlorine tablets in that bottomless pack?" she asked as she attacked his back.

"Not so hard," he hissed. She eased up and began to massage his skin in slow circles. He began to relax and enjoy the soft touch. "There should be some near the bottom."

She began to massage the tight muscles of his back. Lying in one position with a fever for so long had stiffened his back. She attacked his shoulders with strong hands, going deeper with each stroke. After five minutes of work, she felt the hard, tense mass relax and smooth out. She also noticed a vibration coming through her hands. He was purring. She smiled to herself as she continued down his back, her fingers digging deep.

"Ah Jubes," he sighed as she finished. "Yer too good fer me."

"And don't you forget it," She said giving his shoulder a slap. "Get up. We need ta get back ta camp." She climbed out of the stream and stood, her back to him, beyond his clothes. She heard him dripping as he got up and left the water and the zip of his jeans as he got dressed. She finally ran out of patience and turned around. She threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his waist as far as she could.

"God, I missed you," she whispered thickly.

"I missed ya too darlin," he whispered back. They stood there in each others arms, breathing each others scent for a long while.

"Are ya happy, Jubes?" he asked in a low voice.

"Sometimes," she admitted. "I miss the action sometimes. I miss the people a lot. But I miss you most of all. Aunt Hope is great but I feel so alone sometimes."

"You were the one who wanted this,"

"I know," she sighed as she pulled out of his embrace. "Maybe it's too much of a change. I'm so bored most of the time that I go looking for trouble just ta have something ta do."

"Ya used ta do that at the mansion." he smiled. "Nice ta know ya haven't changed much."

"Not funny, Wolvie," she laughed. " And my room! You should see it. Aunt Hope decorated it and she has strange tastes. It's awful."

"Ask her if ya can change it," he said as he looked around the ground. "Where's my shirt?'

"I didn't bring it," she said.. "Don't look at me like that, I only have two hands. Yer lucky I brought yer pants!"

He gave a laugh that only Jubilee has ever heard and threw an arm around her shoulder. "Let's go kid."

"I'm not a kid," she said automatically. He laughed again as they made their way back to camp. Jubilee insisted they stay the night at the camp so Logan could sleep and regain his full strength. The other women agreed with her, not wanting to continue the hard march any time soon. Logan gave up easily. He knew he needed to sleep or he wouldn't be at full strength if they were attacked. He treated the water they'd gotten from the stream and repacked them into his pack. Maria was assigned first watch with instructions to wake him if she saw anything. He curled up on the ground and closed his eyes. Just as he fell asleep, he heard Jubilee tell Maria to wake her and not him. He would have to talk to the kid tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

"Took me a coupla hours ta get to the rocks," he told them when they started out the next morning. "I was movin' pretty fast on the way in. We can't go that fast now so it'll take longer. My Jeep is a coupla miles up the dirt track they call the main road."

"There is a town not far from here," Rosa told him. "My brother lives a mile outside of it. We can get food and water from him."

"You know this area?" Jubilee asked.

"Yes," Maria told her. "We lived here as children. We both left after we were wed."

"Does he have a phone?" Logan asked.

"He doesn't even have plumbing," Rosa said disdainfully. "He has refused to have modern changes made to the house."

"Great," Jubilee grumbled. She was hoping for a hot bath, a television and a mall. The clothes she was wearing were beyond ripe and getting worse. Wolvie was on his last set of clothes as well and would need more. Her shoes were more for hunting in the smooth expanse of a civilized mall rather than the craggy rocks and dust of rural Mexico. Her feet were beginning to complain bitterly about their treatment. She knew they were still in danger of recapture so she kept her pain to herself and mushed on.

By early afternoon, however, Logan could smell the blood and serous fluid from the blisters on Jubilees' feet and stopped the trek. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down on a rock.

"Lemme see yer feet," He told her in a low growl.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "Nothin' wrong with my feet."

"Yer feet, Jubilation," he said in a no nonsense tone. She knew better than to disobey him when he used that tone. She sighed and began to remove her shoes slowly, mumbling about foot fetishes. A sharp intake of breath greeted her blood soaked heel as she removed her right shoe.

"Aw, darlin'," he said as he stooped to remove her sock, "ya shoulda told me."

"I'm fine," she hissed with pain as he peeled the sock from her wounded heel. "It's not that bad." He grunted in response and told the others to get some food and water while he doctored her feet.

Tessa gathered water bottles and jerky and passed it around to the other women. She was glad that she had chosen to wear her boots to the bar the night she was kidnapped. Her feet were in good shape though tired. Maria and Rosa were wearing sturdy, sensible shoes that looked well broken in. There should be no foot problems among them.

She watched as he cleaned and dressed the girls' bloody feet, Jubilee complaining the whole time that she was fine and quit feeling up her feet. By the time he had wrapped both feet in gauze, they were two times their normal size. He picked up her shoes and dropped them in his pack with a disdainful sniff. Tessa came over and gave them the jerky and water as he sat down beside the injured teen.

"I can't eat this stuff all the time, Wolvie," she complained giving the jerky a suspicious sniff before struggling to bite off a piece.

"I know darlin'," he said. "Neither can I. We'll stop fer some huntin' when it's safe." They finished eating in silence.

Tessa grabbed the pack and flipped it onto her back as they got up to leave. "Ya don't have ta do that darlin'," Logan told her.

"You're going to have to carry Jubilee," she said. "I've carried heavier packs before." Logan shrugged his shoulders and bent, picking up the tiny girl and settling her into his massive arms.

They reached the Jeep as the sun was setting in a blaze of glory. He settled Jubilee in the passenger seat and set about reloading the supplies. Luckily, he has several more bottles of water in the cooler. They were warm, but wet. They had used up their food and water on the hike and were now very hungry. He elected to continue on and find shelter for the night. Maria and Rosa gave him directions to their brothers' house.

It was further away than he had anticipated. Just past two in the morning, they pulled up in front of the dilapidated house. Maria and Rosa shot out of the car and ran to the house to bang on the door.

"Wake up kid," he said as he lifted the sleeping girl out of the car. "We're here."

"Hummm?" she questioned sleepily. He settled her more comfortably in his arms and turned around, to be met by the barrel of a rifle pointed between his eyes.

"_Who are you?"_ a tall Mexican man demanded.

"_Don't hurt him Roberto," _Maria begged. _"He's American. He saved us from the_ _slavers."_

"Who are you," Roberto repeated, in English.

"Name's Logan," he growled. "And I'm Canadian, not American."

"He rescued us from the slavers," Rosa told him. "He made sure we lived to return home."

"The girl is hurt, Roberto," Maria said. "Let us go inside and see to her wounds."

He glared at Logan and turned back to the house and marched away. Wolverine glanced over to Tessa. She shrugged and grabbing the pack, followed Roberto.

The house was small; three small bedrooms, a tiny living room and a large kitchen. A fireplace in the living room warmed the entire house when the coal fired stove in the kitchen wasn't in use. The furnishings were shabby and well used. Religious pictures hung on every wall. A small shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe stood in a corner near the door. For all its poverty, the house was very clean and homey.

"My parents raised eight children in this house," Rosa whispered as she took him to a bedroom at the end of the house. "Six girls and two boys. We slept three to a bed. My brothers built a shack in the back where they slept. It was a hard life but a good one. We were happy here."

The room she led him to was so small, it was almost wall to wall bed. He knelt on the bed and placed the small body on the far side, away from the door. She snorted in her sleep and turned over to her side. He smiled fondly at the sleeping figure.

"Come," Rosa said placing her hand on his arm. "You must eat before you sleep."

He followed her to the kitchen where they found Maria, her arms deep in flour, kneading bread. Tessa was at the large table scrambling eggs. Roberto was not in evidence.

"Roberto has gone back to bed," Tessa informed him as she poured the eggs into a big skillet. She picked up the skillet with both hands, went into the living room and placed it on the rack just inside the fireplace to cook. He watched her as she pulled a wooden spoon from the back pocket of her jeans and began to stir the eggs.

"You will have bread for the journey," Maria told him as she placed returned the shaggy dough to the bowl and covered it with a towel. "Rosa and I will return to our homes with Roberto's help tomorrow."

"We are thankful for what you have done for us," Rosa said from the door, "but you must leave in the morning."

"The slavers knew her," Maria lifted her chin, indicating Tessa. "They will be looking for her."

"If you stay, they will come and take Jubilee and Tessa." Rosa told him.

"How do you know they knew me?" Tessa asked from the front room.

"When they threw you into the cage they told us to watch you," Rosa told her.

"They said that you were 'insurance' and they called you by name," Maria said sadly. "You were not taken as a slave. You were a hostage."

Tessa returned from the living room with the skillet, eggs cooked. She began to spoon the eggs onto plates with a troubled look on her face. "Insurance for what?" she asked.

"They did not say," Maria said as she spooned salsa onto her eggs.

"Does yer father have anything comin' up that someone would want stopped?" Logan asked as he ate.

"He doesn't talk about work to me," she said. "As far as I'm aware, he's just getting ready for the election next year." She started to eat, her mind troubled. Her father had some controversial political views, she knew that. His views on mutants made him a target for home grown terrorists. She didn't think it was an anti-mutant group that kidnapped her. They could have taken her any time in the past four weeks after she'd broken up with her boyfriend. Why wait until she was in Mexico? Why use a notorious slavery ring to do the job? Something was off about this whole thing.

"Why does Jubilee call you 'Wolvie' or 'Wolverine' and you call yourself 'Logan'?" Rosa asked.

"Pet name," he lied, his tone indicating the subject was closed. The women took the hint.

"I will sleep with Jubilee," Tessa announced as she rose and placed her plate in the dry sink.

"That's okay," Logans said. "I'll sleep with her. She has nightmares that can scare ya ta death. I'm used ta 'em." Eyebrows rose all over the kitchen. "Fer heavens sake," he sighed, exasperated. "I don't see her that way. She's like my daughter. I've raised her since she was thirteen."

"She's not thirteen any more," Tessa objected.

"I like my women much older and more experienced." he growled. "She'll wake up the entire house if I'm not there, trust me." He got up and placed his plate in the sink. He glared at the women and, without another word, turned and marched down the hall to the bedroom.

He stopped outside the room and took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully. He'd been accused of a lot of things in his long life, most of it true, but he'd never been accused of being a pedophile before. It made him angry. He just didn't think of Jubilee that way. She was his lifeline, the keeper of his soul, not a potential lover.

He reined in his temper as he heard a soft moan from the room. She was having a nightmare. He opened the door soundlessly and slipped into the room. She was tossing on the bed restlessly. He pulled his boots and shirt off and slipped into the bed, gathering her close. She automatically curled up against him and snuggled her self to his side, her head on his chest. He thrummed softly, calming her, chasing the dream away. She sighed and fell into a deep sleep. He smiled to himself in satisfaction and allowed sleep to take him.

They were awakened early the next morning by the odor of freshly baked bread and frying bacon.

"I'm starving," Jubilee complained as he redressed her feet. "Hurry up."

"They won't ferget ta feed ya darlin'," he laughed. "Let me finish and I'll take ya ta breakfast." He tied a knot over her ankle, securing the bandages and slipped a pair of his socks over them. "This'll keep the bandages clean until we can get ya some better shoes. Just be careful. Ya don't want ta fall on yer ass."

She scrambled out of the bed and immediately slipped on the highly polished floor, landing on the aforementioned ass. "Told ya," he snickered as he peered over the bed at her.

"Shut up and help me up," she said crossly. He leaned over and picked her up and placed her on her feet.

"How do they feel?" he asked.

"Sore but okay," she admitted. "Let's eat." He held onto her arm as she skated to the kitchen.

Roberto and Maria were bustling around the kitchen, preparing breakfast. Maria placed two plates of pancakes and bacon on the table and motioned for them to sit, then returned to the stove. Rosa came through the back door with a bang.

"There is hot water for a bath," she announced. "Tessa is getting cleaned up now but we must all use the same water. It will take too long to heat more.

"Oh, gross," Jubilee wrinkled her nose as she ate a mouthful of pancakes.

"That's the way it's done here Jubes," Logan said as he added syrup to his pancakes.

"I have some clothes for you as well. The ones you are wearing are no longer clean."

"She means ya stink," Logan said in a stage whisper.

"I know what she means Wolvie," she growled elbowing him in the side. She shoveled food in quickly.

"Slow down darlin," he cautioned. "Ya don't want ta get sick."

"I want a bath," she told him, taking a gulp of coffee. "I haven't had one in five days. You had a bath in the stream yesterday, though you need another one, this time with soap. Tell ya what," she finally paused, "you take yer bath first. I'll wait for you ta finish. Ya don't want ta get my funk on ya."

"Does she always talk so much?" Roberto asked in wonder.

"Always," Logan confirmed.

"Wolvie's very taciturn," Jubilee told Roberto. "I hafta make up for his silences."

"Ya ain't gonna put yer feet in that dirty water," he told her. "You'll get an infection."

"How am I supposed ta get clean," she demanded.

"Spit bath, darlin'," he said as he finished his meal.

"Aw, come on," she complained. "I can't get clean that way."

"Spit bath or no bath," he told her sternly. "And if ya think I'm gonna carry ya smellin' like ya are, ya got another think commin'." He dropped his plate in the sink. "I'm going fer a bath. I'll come back fer ya when I'm finished." He planted a kiss on the top of her head as she pouted at the table, arms crossed over her small breasts.

"I left some clothing for you by the bathtub," Roberto told him. "They will be too long but they will do until you get to your home. We will be gone before you are finished. I must return my sisters to their husbands."

"Ya should have time to get pretty far away," Logan said as he shook the mans' hand. "The men from the warehouse are dead. It'll take 'em time ta find the bodies."

"I will return when it is safe," Roberto assured him. "Thank you for seeing to the safety of my sisters." Logan nodded in reply and left the room.

He carried Jubilee out to the tub after he had finished his own bath and left Tessa to help her clean up while he packed the food Roberto had left for them. They would have just enough supplies to last them to the border. Hopefully, they would make it there without any interruptions. Jubilee was in no shape to fight and he wasn't sure of Tessas' ability to protect herself.

They couldn't go back to Nuevo Laredo. The city was knee deep in slavers and drug lords. It would be too dangerous to take Tessa back to the area she was kidnapped from. It's possible they could cross into San Diego but they didn't have the supplies to make it that far. Del Rio was out for the same reason Nuevo Laredo was. They would have to cross the way immigrants have been crossing for a century; the Rio Grande.

'What possessed her to buy these things?' he asked himself as he pulled Jubilees' shoes from the pack. Dried blood was smeared inside both shoes by the blisters she had raised on her feet. Pinching the offending footwear between two fingers, he walked out of the back door. Jubilee, sitting on a bench near the bath house, saw him stomp out of the house holding the shoes she had spent six months allowance on not two weeks ago.

"What are ya doing with my shoes?" she asked. He shot her a glower and strode past her toward the out house. Realization dawned on her quickly. "No ya don't," she yelled standing painfully on her stocking feet. "Wolvie, I just bought those." He flipped open the door to the out house and leaned in. When he reappeared, his hands were empty.

"I can't believe you just did that," she yelled as he came over to the bench. "I spent my own money on those shoes."

"I'll buy ya another pair," he growled as he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder.

"I watched those shoes for weeks, waiting for them to go on sale," she screamed, pounding his back with her small fists. "It was the only way I could afford them."

"Find her another pair of shoes," he threw over his shoulder to Tessa as he carried the furious girl into the house and sat her down at the kitchen table.

"They were takin' up room in the pack, Jubes," he said as he peeled the dirty socks off. "Ya can't wear 'em until yer feet heal so they had ta go. I'll get ya a new pair when we get home."

"It's the principle of the thing," she said still angry. "They were the first thing I bought with money I saved. I waited and waited. When they were seventy percent off, I finally bought them."

"I'm sorry, darlin'," he kissed her nose. "I know yer proud of what ya did, but we need the room fer food. Ya can't eat shoes."

"Ya walk back into my life," she whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks, "and start rearranging things to suit you and ya don't even ask me first. Ya left me with Aunt Hope. Ya never call me and when I call you, ya don't have time ta talk. You abandoned me Wolvie." The reason for her anger finally surfacing.

"Aw Jubes," he sighed. He didn't know what to say. She had decided to go to her aunt on her own. She wanted a normal life. He couldn't give her that and it wasn't safe for him to follow her. He had enemies that would have jumped at the chance to grab her. It was better that he stay away from her.

He picked the weeping girl up and sat down with her on his lap. She tucked her head into the crook of his neck, still crying.

"Ya wanted a normal life, Jubes," he said softly. "I wanted that fer ya, too. I couldn't give ya what ya needed but yer Aunt Hope could. I didn't want ya ta go but I thought a clean break was better fer ya than a lingering connection with the X-Men. I wanted ya ta be safe. If I stayed in contact too close, ya woulda ended up a target again." He stroked her hair softly. "Just 'cause I'm not with ya in body doesn't mean that ya ain't in my heart. I thought of ya every day, hoping you were happy."

She thought on that for a while. "I love ya Wolvie," she said in a small voice.

"I love ya too, kid," he said. He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "Let's get ya some clean socks and a pair of shoes."

"Ya mean I'm allowed ta walk?" she sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"Not yet," he told her as he set her on the floor. "But I ain't carryin' ya all the way ta the states."

"Whadaya mean 'all the way ta the states'?" she asked. "Aren't we takin' the Jeep?"

"By now, they have the description of my Jeep from the Nuevo Laredo police," he explained as Tessa returned with socks and a pair of sturdy shoes. "They know our general direction so they'll be lookin' fer us. We hafta ditch the Jeep and go on foot."

"Gak," she complained as he handed her the shoes. "These are ugly with a capital 'Ug'"

"They'll protect yer feet," he said as he slipped the socks over the bandages.

"Where're we gonna cross the border?" Tessa asked him.

"If we go straight north, we'll end up in New Mexico," he said. Jubilee started violently.

"I can't go back there," she said in a shaky voice.

"I know darlin'," he said. "We could go east and up through Big Bend. The border guards ain't as thick there."

"I have friends in Brownsville," Tessa told them. "They would help us, I'm sure."

"Too far east," he discarded the idea. "We don't have the supplies ta make it all the way ta Brownsville. The quickest way is north-east. Once we get to Texas, we can call Chuck and have him send a jet."

"Ya didn't bring a communicator, did ya?" Jubilee asked accusingly.

"I never do when I'm on a solo job,"

"I told ya you could turn the damned thing off."

"Language darlin'." She stuck out her tongue at him. It was a constant argument with them. She picked up the most interesting swear words from him but he got mad every time she used one.

Not that he'd ever do anything to her. She was the only person in the world who could get up into his face and tell him he's being a dick and get away without nine inches of adamantium in the gut. She wasn't afraid of him but he couldn't say the same about her. She had a temper that, if anything, was worse than his. She had blown up buildings before in a fit of rage. He never wanted that magnificent temper directed at him. She could do some damage. It wouldn't last but they would both feel awful while he healed. The only time he ever yelled at her was when she endangered herself or others with her actions. She usually agreed with him.

"I gathered a couple of changes of clothes for each of us, some blankets and some extra first aid supplies," Tessa interrupted. "I put them in a bag I found in one of the bedrooms."

"Matches?" he asked.

"Wrapped in oilcloth," she confirmed. "I'll carry the packs until she can walk."

"Climb on Jubes," he said as he turned his back to Jubilee. She scampered up his back and settled on piggy back. Tessa swung the heavy pack and the bag onto her back and they left the house and relative safety.


	5. Chapter 5

They were two hours into their hike when Jubilee noticed Tessa slumping under the weight of the packs. She must be carrying close to one hundred pounds of supplies in the two packs. No wonder she was tired.

Jubilee leaned forward and whispered into Logan's ear. "Tessa looks like she's gonna drop soon. Let's take a break." He looked over at the struggling brunette and swore softly. "I heard that," Jubilee giggled. "Can I use that one?"

"No," he growled. "Let's stop and take a break." He slid Jubilee to the ground and turned to help Tessa with the packs. He lifted the packs in his hand. Not that heavy but too much for a woman. They would have to stop frequently or the packs would tear up Tessas' shoulders.

'Fine job yer doing looking after the woman ya were paid ta rescue,' he snarled to himself. 'Jubilee drops inta the picture and ya ferget everything.'

"Ya okay?" he asked Tessa.

"My shoulders are a little sore but I'm fine," she said as she rotated her arms to ease the stiffness.

"We'll stop more often to rest," he said. "At least until Jubes can walk."

"At the rate she's healing, that'll be soon."

"Mutants heal fast," he said as he pulled water bottles from the pack.

"Is that how you survived the snake bite?" she asked, nodding her thanks for the water.

"I'm a little different," he said with a shrug. "My mutation is rapid healing. I never stay down fer long."

"Handy mutation," she remarked, impressed.

"Sometimes," he said darkly.

They stayed for an hour, resting and letting the stiffness in Tessas' shoulders relax. "We'll stop again in a couple of hours ta eat," he said as they clambered up a small hill. Jubilee was, once again, perched on his back and Tessa with the larger pack on her back. Logan snatched the smaller bag before she could pick it up and had it slung across his broad chest. He had ignored the arguments Tessa had given him when he picked it up. He wasn't about to let her exhaust herself while he toted the injured teen around.

They walked in silence for the rest of the day, stopping several times to rest. Jubilee, ever the chatterbox, talked with Tessa during their breaks. Logan listened as the gregarious girl tickled the life story out of the secretive woman. Tessa and her father were not on the best of terms but she checked in frequently. She was altruistic and didn't care for some of the compromises her father made to further his career. She felt that he had sold his soul for votes at times. She was extremely disappointed with his vote to fund a mutant research program that Tessa believed may be more than it appeared. She was staunchly pro mutant rights and had heard of some of the goings on in most of the research centers in the country. She didn't want him to have anything to do with the programs and couldn't understand why he voted for the funding.

"It was one of the reasons I broke up with Brad," she told her. "He was real happy with Daddy's votes. He said that Daddy was showing vision for the future. He turned out to be a bigoted bastard. A little over a month ago, I found out that he's the president of the local chapter of the FOH. He and Daddy never got along but when I told my father that we were through, Daddy nearly had a heart attack. He wanted me to make up with him."

"We've had problems with the FOH," Logan grumbled. "We'll stop here for the night."

"They're terrorists and thugs," Tessa spat. "Those sonofa bitches killed my best friend six years ago. I won't rest until they're all in prison."

"Could they be responsible for your kidnapping?" Jubilee asked as Logan set her down.

"Why wait for me to go to Mexico?" Tessa asked. "They could have grabbed me anytime after Brad and I broke up. Why use slavers? It doesn't make sense."

"The FOH is bold but they ain't got the balls ta take the daughter of a Senator," said Logan. "I'm gonna scout around ta make sure we're safe here."

"I'll get firewood," Tessa said as she dropped her pack.

"I guess I'll sit here like a bump on the ground," Jubilee said sourly.

"Difficult patient," Tessa smiled.

"Ya ain't seen nothin yet," Logan snickered as he disappeared into the darkness. "She gets worse."

"I ain't gonna be carried like a baby tomorrow," she called after him.

"We'll see," came his amused voice. "Keep yer eyes open, Jubes."

Jubilee knew he was going to search for potential trouble and to mark the area. She saw him do this once when she was younger. When she asked why, he told her the animals wouldn't come near if his scent was all over the campsite. It didn't work on humans but it worked very well on the wild animals that could sneak into camp.

"I don't smell anything," he said as he returned an hour later. "That doesn't mean there's nothin out there. I'll take first watch."

They ate and rolled out their blankets, falling into a deep sleep almost as soon as they laid their heads down. Logan moved away from they fire and settled down to keep watch.

Jubilee was slipping into her nightly nightmare when a sound jolted her awake. She and Tessa were just getting up when five men in camouflage stepped into the camp site.

"You two are more trouble than you're worth," one of the forms said as they approached. "I don't like to kill unless I'm being paid to kill." They walked toward the girls menacingly, guns pointed at their heads. Jubilee risked a glance at Wolverine and saw blood seeping from a wound to the back of his head. She knew that he would be okay but he would wake up with a splitting headache and a rage that would probably get the soldiers killed in the most gruesome way possible. She just had to keep them busy until he got back up.

"Who the hell are you and what do you want with us?" she demanded.

"I don't know who wants you," he sneered at Jubilee, "but her," he lifted Tessa's chin with the muzzle of his rifle, "she's insurance."

"Insurance against what?" Tessa asked, her voice cracking with fear.

"Don't know," he said lightly. "And I don't care. I get paid for delivering you, not asking questions."

Jubilee saw Wolverine stir behind the man. Only a little longer.

"How can you live with yourself doing work like this?" Tessa demanded. "I never did anything to you. My family doesn't have money. Let us go!" Logan was on his feet by now, his eyes blazing in anger.

"You don't have the leverage to demand anything," the soldier said. "You're two women, alone in the wilderness, with no protection."

"Only one problem with that," Jubilee piped up as Logan crept up behind them.

"What's that little girl?" the leader asked.

"We're not alone," she told him, her eyes hard, "or defenseless." She swept her leg out and knocked Tessa off her feet. Bringing her hand up, she let loose a stream of hot plasma into the faces of the soldiers behind her.

The leader was caught off guard by her actions. "She's a mutie," he yelled.

"She ain't the only one," a growl came from behind him. He whirled to find a very pissed off Wolverine facing him, crouched and ready to pounce. A shaft of fear shot through him as he realized that he had made a serious mistake. He didn't make sure the man was dead. His eyes widened in dread as six gleaming claws appeared from the backs of the growling mans' hands. With speed he'd never seen before, the man attacked, slicing off the barrel of his rifle. He watched in growing horror as the clawed mutant danced through his men, killing as he went. The brutality of his attack stunned the soldier. He had never seen a more efficient killer in his life. No excess moves, no words, just whirling death. He knew he was going to die.

He reached for his side arm, desperate to do something. Suddenly, a thick arm whipped around his neck and a fist pressed against his head above his ear.

"That gun clears the holster and you die," a voice growled in his ear. He froze. "Good boy. Who are ya workin for?" He could feel the coiled rage in the fist.

"Why should I tell you?" he asked, trembling. "You're going to kill me anyway."

"You tell me and ya die fast," the fist pressed harder against his head. "Ya don't," the fist moved to his belly, "and ya die slow. Yer choice."

"My god," he paled, "you're Weapon X. We thought you were dead."

"You were there?" Wolverine asked, growling. The man nodded mutely.

Logan's world immediately went red. All the nightmares he had suffered through for the past fifteen years raced through his mind. The pain, the torture, the nameless voices. All of it. He howled, the beast in total control, demanding retribution for the hurts of the past.

The next thing he knew, Jubilee was holding him by the shoulders, calling his name. The soldier was on the ground, his belly open to the air. His head was on the other side of the fire, its eyes wide in terror. Tessa was kneeling on the ground, her eyes fearful and her skin pale. The horror of what he'd done swept through him with a shudder. He tore himself free from Jubilee's arms and ran. Where he was going, he had no idea. He just needed to get away.

Jubilee watched him leave with sadness. She knew something like this would happen. When the soldier mentioned Weapon X, her heart dropped to her feet. It was going to take a lot of work to bring him back this time.

She turned and rolled up her blanket and stuffed it back into the bag. "We hafta move," she told Tessa. "The smell of the bodies will bring the coyotes."

"What happened?" Tessa asked in a shocked whisper. "He was like a wild animal."

"Wolvie was kidnapped by some Canadian government yahoos who experimented on him," Jubilee explained as she rolled up Tessa's blanket. "They erased his memories and implanted their own. They programmed him to be their ultimate weapon. They coated his bones with adamantium, trained him and turned him loose on their enemies. And they did it all without anesthesia." She straightened up and looked directly into Tessas' eyes. "Can ya blame him fer being a little testy?"

"A little testy?" she yelled, astonished. "He just murdered that man!"

"That soldier was part of the team that made him what he is," Jubilee said angrily. "Don't get me wrong, I love him more than any other person in my life but Wolvie comes with a lot of baggage. The rages are part of it and people like that soldier are the ones responsible. I have no pity for them what so ever."

"But…"

"Listen, he's spent the better part of the last fifteen years searching for answers. He doesn't know why they did this to him. Why they took his memories and twisted them. Hell, he doesn't even know his real name. How would you feel if someone came along and took everything from you, including your name, and made you into something else? All against your will." Tessa looked at her feet, deep in thought.

"He's a good man," Jubilee said softly. "He's protective of women and children and a fiercely loyal friend. They tried to make him something so far from who he is that he broke their programming and regained his free will. But the training can't be forgotten. He's a trained killer. When pushed too far, he will kill. He has no choice. It's what they made him into." She finished breaking camp and started north again, Tessa trailing after her.

"How will he find us?" Tessa asked as she trotted behind Jubilee.

"Smell," Jubilee said.

"Huh?"

"Wolvie has an overdeveloped sense of smell," She explained. "He'll find me no matter what by my scent."

"Even if you're dead?"

Jubilee stopped and grabbed Tessa's shoulders. "If anything happens and you see me dead, get away from my body as quick as you can. Don't let him find you anywhere near. If he smells me and death in the same place, he'll go nutso. You won't be able to talk to him and he won't hear you. I'm the only one who can deal with him when he's like that. If I'm dead, call the X-Men. They'll deal with Wolvie and get you home." She returned to the hike.

"Why would the X-Men help me?" Tessa asked as she followed.

"He's one of 'em," Jubilee said as she made her way through the thick brush. "The X-Men always help their own. They'll come."

"Will they know you?"

"I lived with them for a couple of years before I went to the Xavier Academy in Massachusetts. Wolvie took me everywhere with him for about two years before he caved into the pressure and started leaving me behind." They walked on silently for a while

"How far are we from the…" she couldn't say it.

"About three miles," Jubilee told her. "We need ta be about five miles away ta be safe."

They walked on in silence. About an hour later, Jubilee decided they were far enough away from their old campsite to stop and sleep. She knew that Logan would find them soon. He wouldn't leave her in the wild for days at a time without his protection. The only thing she worried about is that he would shadow them but never come close enough to talk to her.

They made camp and settled in for the rest of the night. Just before daybreak, Jubilee woke with a start. She felt as if she were being watched. She crept out of her warm blanket and padded around the campsite, looking into the brush for the intruder.

"Took ya long enough ta notice me," a low growl came from the thick brush. "Been here fer nearly an hour."

"I haven't been camping for years, Wolvie," she told him still searching the brush for his bulk. "I'm a little rusty."

"A little?" he asked as he stepped out of the bushes behind her. She whirled to face him. He looked like he hadn't slept. Leaves and twigs in his hair gave him a wild look that she had come to associate with one of his deep thinking binges.

"It's not your fault," she told him.

"Maybe," he said. "I heard what ya told Tessa and yer right. I can't ferget the training no matter how hard I try."

"The training and your instincts have kept you alive," she said as she wrapped her arms around him. "I'm glad you have them. If ya didn't, you'd have been killed long before we met. I would still be homeless in LA, possibly a hooker or worse. You saved my life and gave me a family. I owe you more than I can ever repay."

"I think we're even," he said thickly.

"How'd ya figure that?" she asked.

"Ya saved my soul," he told her. "Yer the only one that can bring me back when I've lost myself. If it wasn't fer you, I'd be living in some forest in Canada, lost in the feral fer the rest of my life."

"We're a pair, aren't we," she sniffed. "Two lost souls trying to make ourselves whole."

"We make each other whole," he whispered in her ear.

"What'll ya do when I get married?" she asked, curious as to what his reaction will be. She didn't have to wait long. He began to growl, softly a first. "I mean, I'll eventually get married and have kids so you'll have to deal with my husband." The growling got louder. "Unless ya want ta wait for me ta grow up." The growling suddenly stopped.

"Huh?"

"Messin' with ya, Wolvie," she laughed. "Come on, Let's get some breakfast and get back on the road."

"Wait Jubes," he grabbed her arm before she could leave. "What about Tessa?"

"She's a little freaked but she'll be fine."

"Are ya sure?"

"Yeah," she laughed. "Come on, let's eat. I'm hungry."

The next two days passed without incident. Jubilees' feet healed and she now complained about the pace Logan had set for the hike. Tessa stayed as far from Logan as she could and still be polite. Logan knew what she was doing. Hell, it was hard to miss. Every time he came within ten feet of her, she gave off fear pheromones in waves. Jubilee watched the interplay with growing concern. She knew that if Tessa couldn't trust Logan, she would likely be killed or taken in the next attack.

They all agreed that there would be another attack. If they had more supplies, they would change their plan of reentry into the States. At it was, they would have to stop and hunt soon or die of starvation. Water wasn't a problem. The mountainous area they were in had numerous streams running through it. They were able to maintain reasonably good hygiene and rinse out their clothes from time to time as well as stay hydrated.

They were cresting a ridge as the sun began its western track toward night when Logan suddenly stopped and held up his hand for silence, his face hard, nose twitching. Jubilee was instantly alert, dropping the smaller pack to free her hands, ready to strike.

"Where?" she whispered tightly.

"North and west," he gave a low growl. "Keep movin. I'm gonna swing around the western ones first, then ta the north. Keep yer eyes open. Ya see anything movin, paff it, even if ya thinks it's me."

"K," she whispered. He handed the pack to Tessa and slipped onto the shadows and was gone.

"You really going to attack him when he comes back?" Tessa hissed as she swung the pack onto her back.

"If I don't, he'll rip me a new one," Jubilee told her. "Let's move."

Two hours later, they crept into the trees near a small camp. Jubilee was worried. Logan should have already been there. He must have has problems with the group to the west. She motioned Tessa to hide in to foliage and listen.

"...getting paid to camp in the Mexican mountains," a heavy set black man was talking. He poked at the logs in the fire, stirring it up to new heights.

"Ain't gonna be easy Bill," another man said. "I hear she's got a mutie with her."

"So?" Bill asked. "We kill the mutie and take her back to her old man. That's what we're being paid for."

"Yeah, well we got competition now," another man said. "I hear her boyfriend sent some teams out too."

"We'll deal with them too," Bill growled. "Her father thinks the slavers were hired by the boyfriend."

"What for?" the first man asked. "She not putting out?"

"Everything's sex for you, isn't it Clete?" Bill demanded. "The boyfriend evidently has something on the old man. He wants the girl and the information back in one piece."

"How do we know she has the information?" the second man asked.

"We don't, Frank," Bill turned to him, "but the old man thinks she does."

"When is Jimmy getting back?" Clete asked. "I'm getting hungry."

"He's only been gone for an hour," Frank said as he got up from the stump. "I gotta take a leak." He walked toward where Jubilee was hidden. She quickly slipped away from her position and deeper into the foliage. She found another hiding place and went to slip into it when a hand clamped around her mouth.

"Keep still Jubes," Logans' voice growled in her ear. She relaxed against his bulk and continued to listen to the men. Logan removed his hand, his senses sharp. They continued talking but about more mundane things like cars and hunting. Jubilee was getting bored and began to fidget. Logan sniffed the air and swore softly. Her eyes widened as she saw Frank return, dragging Tessa behind him.

"Lookit," he crowed. "I found us a treat in the bushes." He mashed his mouth against the struggling woman.

"There's one more," Jubilee said in a whisper only Logan could have heard. Logan shook his head and drew a finger across his throat. He'd taken care of the fourth member.

He watched, growling softly, as Tessa was passed around the fire to be groped by the lusty men. He waited until they were involved with trying to rape the terrified woman before he attacked.

"Watch my back," he instructed.

"Always," Jubilee replied as he walked out of the covering bushes.

"Let the girl go," he told them.

"Who the hell are you?" Bill demanded, his fist caught up in Tessa's hair.

"I'm all your nightmares come ta life," he growled, moving closer. "Let her go and ya live."

A knife flashed up to her neck. "Move and she dies." he said in a low voice.

"Wrong move, bub," Logan popped his claws. "I got yer blades here."

Eyes widened all over the campsite. Tessa took advantage of their distraction and twisted free, running into the brush. The men saw their only chance of escaping alive fleeing from them and were terrified. They did what stupid, terrified men usually do; they attacked. And they died.

Jubilee carefully made her way over to Tessa's position. The woman was trembling but not injured. They watched as Wolverine worked. Jubilee with boredom, Tessa with fascination. His moves were so smooth that it didn't even appear as if he were trying. One man, Jubilee thought it was Frank, finally wised up and ran. Unfortunately, he ran toward Tessa and Jubilee. Tessa had finally had enough. She stepped out of the cover and dropped into a defensive crouch, waiting for the terrified man.

"You won't get past me," she growled at him. "I've been kidnapped, drugged and frightened to death. I've had enough! All I wanted was to get in on some bargains in Nuevo Laredo. What give you the right to ruin my life?" she was screaming. Frank looked at her as if she were completely crazy. "Fuck you!" She jumped up and with a powerful round house kick, slammed her foot into his temple, dropping him to the ground with a thump.

She straightened up and turned to her companions. Jubilee was staring at her with her mouth open in shock. Logan was leaning back against a tree, lighting his last cigar and smiling.

"Knew ya could do it darlin'," he said, satisfied. "Yer dad said ya were a firecracker."

"Yeah, well," she cleared her throat. "I've been trying to clean up my act."

"Hell of a kick," Jubilee said, impressed.

"I didn't kill him did I?" she asked.

"Does it matter?" Logan shot back. "Come on. Let's get movin."


	6. Chapter 6

Breakfast consisted of hard biscuits and jerky washed down with water. Tessa would have sold her soul for a cup of coffee. Jerky was getting to be very old and the biscuits were extremely dry. On top of that, she had a caffeine withdrawal headache. Tessa and Jubilee decided to play 'When I get home'.

"First thing I'll do is take a long, hot bath," Tessa said wistfully.

Jubilee groaned in memory. "Man, that would be great," she said. "Just slip into a hot tub and soak fer a coupla hours." She thought for a while. "You know what I want?"

"What?" Logan asked gruffly.

"A manicure. My nails are so ratty."

"Ice cream," Tessa grinned.

"Ooooh," Jubilee breathed. "A chocolate sundae with whipped cream and nuts."

"I was thinking more like a banana split," Tessa smacked her lips.

"I know what Wolvie wants," Jubilee snickered.

"What's that darlin'?" he asked.

"A box of Cubans."

"Sounds good ta me," he smiled.

"So we each got two things we want," Jubilee told them as Logan broke camp.

"You want a manicure and a chocolate sundae, I want a hot bath and a banana split but Logan only agreed with the cigars. What's the second thing?"

"Wolvie'd want the cigars and ta get laid," Jubilee told her with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Keep yer nose outta my sex life," he growled.

"I need a score card ta keep track of your sex life," teased Jubilee.

"Busy little bee?" Tessa asked with a giggle.

"From flower ta flower," she confirmed.

"Jubes," he growled in warning.

"Well," she snickered, "ya gotta admit, ya see a lot of action."

"I don't think I should be talkin' with ya about this," he squirmed.

"Aw, Wolvie," she kissed his cheek. "I'm messin' with ya again. Yer such an easy target."

"Ya know I don't like ya ta talk about my private business, Jubilee," he frowned down at her.

"I know," she shrugged. "'Specially when it ain't true."

The trail became steeper the further north-east they went. Tessa noticed that the weather was starting to go against them.

We're on the east side of the mountains," Logan explained to her. "Storms develop on this side. From here on out, we ain't gonna have too great o' weather. It'll also get hotter."

"The trees are thicker," Tessa observed. "That will give us a little more cover."

"It also covers the enemy," Logan told her. "I can smell 'em commin' but they'll get closer than before."

"How close is close?" she asked.

"'Bout a mile," he said.

"That should give us plenty of time to set up a welcome," she smiled.

"We're gonna avoid 'em as much as possible," he told her. "I don't wanna get anyone hurt."

"Fer chrissake, Wolvie," exploded Jubilee. "I can take care of myself."

"Against a high powered rifle with a scope?" he asked.

"Well...," she stuttered.

"The trees will prevent a gunman from getting a clear shot," Tessa protested.

"Ya don't need a clear shot.," he told her. "Guns ain't my weapon of choice but from 3000 feet, I could hit ya."

"Not everyone's as good a shot as you," she said. "I don't think I could do it and I know guns."

"The people after ya are seasoned soldiers," he told her. "They're gonna know how ta use their weapons."

"Well, what can we do?" Jubilee asked exasperated.

"I'm their target," he told them. "They think gettin' me outta the way will make it easier ta get ta ya. I'm gonna go inta ultra stealth mode and shadow ya. Maybe that'll draw 'em out inta the open. I don't think they know about ya, Jubes. If things get bad, ya can protect Tessa until ya get ta a phone and call Fury or Cyke."

"But neither one will come inta Mexico," Jubilee said.

"Fer you, Cyke will," he told her. "Only problem is that he'll want ta look fer me. If ya call him, make sure he takes Tessa home first. Fury won't come inta Mexico even if ya were gonna get killed. He can't risk it."

"So ya want me ta call Cyke?" she asked.

"I'd rather ya call Fury first," he said. "I don't want the X-Men involved in my personal work. I'm doing this as a favor fer Fury. Call One Eye after ya call Fury"

"Can we have some fresh meat, please," Jubilee begged when dinner time rolled around. "I'm so tired of jerky."

"Ya gotta eat what I bring back," he told her.

"Deal," she agreed. "As long as ya don't bring back something gross, like skunk."

"Deal," he said. "Get a fire going," he ordered as he left.

Logan loved to hunt. Not necessarily to kill. Sometimes, all he did was sneak up on an animal and touch it. The closer he got to the animal, the bigger the thrill. It was a study in air currents and silence. The trick was not to let the animal hear or smell you until after you touched it. It wasn't easy. Mother Nature likes to play tricks, moving leaves and twigs in his path or changing wind directions suddenly, but he loved a challenge. The last time he played the game it was with a grizzly bear. It took him six days to get close enough to touch the massive pelt.

This was different. This was for food so small game was what he needed. He took a deep breath. Lots of game in the area. Some of it could be eliminated off the bat. Jubilee would kill him if he came back with a skunk of raccoon. She liked rabbit so he decided to catch a couple of cottontails.

It didn't take him as long as he thought it would. He practically tripped over a couple of bunnies within thirty minutes of leaving the girls. He quickly caught and killed both. As he picked them up, he caught another, more sinister scent. This one he couldn't ignore: a puma.

He tied the rabbits to his belt and went in search of the cat. He really didn't want to kill it, just persuade it to go somewhere else. Unfortunately, they were camped in the puma's territory. Getting it to leave would be next to impossible. Maybe if he distracted it with something else.

The solution to his problem wandered into a clearing nearby; a small heard of mule deer. He culled a young buck from the heard and killed it, making sure it was a bloody kill. The puma should go for the free meal and leave the camp alone for the night. He quickly left the area and returned to camp. He circled it, marking the area with his scent before entering the camp with supper.

"Puma in the area," he said as he dropped the rabbits next to Jubilee.

"Ya didn't kill it, did ya," Jubilee demanded as she grabbed a carcass and began to skin and gut it.

"Nah," he told her. "Just distracted it. We should be safe fer the night." He watched her as she expertly prepared the rabbits for roasting. "Glad ta know ya remember some of the things I taught ya."

"As if you'd let me forget," she gave a cheeky smile.

"Water half a mile west of here," he said. "I'm gonna wash up. Don't ferget ta bury the entrails."

By the time he returned the smell of roasting meat was rising from the fire. Jubilee couldn't cook in the conventional sense. To let her use a stove was inviting trouble, but she knew how to roast over an open fire. She knew just how long to let the meat cook so that it was tender and juicy. When ever they went camping, she took care of the cooking and he did the hunting. They never went hungry unless game was scarce.

"Almost done," she announced.

"You and Tessa go wash up," he told her. "I'll watch our dinner."

"You start eating before we get back and I'll paff you into next week," she warned as they went in search of the stream.

"Yes ma'am" he said, snickering. He knew very well she'd do it. God, he missed this. Camping with Jubilee didn't always go so smoothly. The first time he took her, she complained the whole time. He was so irritated with her that he cut the trip short just to get away from her constant harping. After the third trip, she began to appreciate why he was doing it. She still didn't care for hunting but she knew how to do it. If necessary, she could survive in the wild, and find her way home. She knew how to kill any animal if she needed to. That was proven when he took her to Canada last spring. She killed a bull moose that had surprised her one day. The moose was in rut and not about to let her leave. She cried for hours afterward. It took him some time to convince her that she did what was necessary to preserve her life. It didn't make it any easier on her but she understood why it was necessary.

The girls returned from their jaunt to the stream and they ate their dinner. The mood was slightly tense. They knew they weren't out of the woods and the next attack would come soon. They discussed what they'd overheard at the hunter's camp. One intent on getting some type of information, no matter what the cost, the other wanted the information as well but wanted to return her to her father.

Tessa racked her brain in frustration. She didn't know very much about her fathers' business. She wasn't that interested in what he did except for his political life and most of that was public record. His private business dealings were a mystery to her. She knew he imported electronics from several countries for resale in the States but she didn't know, and didn't care, what type of electronics he dealt with.

"Could the stuff they want have something ta do with what ya do?" Logan asked.

"I'm an artist," she said exasperated. "I live on my trust fund and what ever I get from selling my paintings. I rarely leave San Antonio and when I do, it's to see my father. I'm not some James Bond like secret agent."

"Does he ever come to you?" Jubilee asked.

"Never to my apartment," she told her. "He has a ranch west of Kerrville he goes to on vacations. I go out there every Christmas."

"Why does he have a key ta yer apartment?" Logan asked.

Tessa's eyes widened in surprise. "I never gave him a key to my apartment."

"He gave me a key ta yer place and a picture of ya that wasn't more than a year old."

"I didn't give him a key," she insisted, "nor have I had a picture taken in the past five years. Someone took it without my knowledge."

"The question is," Jubilee interrupted, "is who did and why."

"Yer dad's havin' ya watched," Logan told her.

"I'm an artist," she protested. "Why would he have me watched?"

"Maybe is has something to do with your boyfriend," Jubilee suggested.

"Brad's a lawyer," she told them. "I know that doesn't make him good..."

"Ya got that right," Logan mumbled.

"But he doesn't have the guts to do anything illegal," she concluded.

"If I've learned one thing hangin' with the X-Men is that it's the quiet ones you hafta watch," Jubilee said sagely.

"Can't do nothin' tonight," Logan said as he rose from the ground. "Jubes, ya got first watch. Tessa'll take second and I'll take third. I'm gonna be hidden but I'll wake ya in the mornin'. Don't be surprised if ya don't see me fer a while. I'll still be in the area but I won't be visible."

"Are ya still gonna hunt fer us?" Jubilee asked. "Ya know I hate huntin'."

"I'll leave ya a kill where I want ya ta make camp every night," he told her. "Be careful Jubes."

"I will," she promised.

Jubilee sat several feet away from the fire she'd started for the camp and settled down for her watch shift. She was very tired but knew better than to let her guard down. Logan would have her head if she lost her concentration. She scouted the area around the camp, familiarizing herself with the surrounding terrain.

She thought back on the camping trips she'd gone on with Logan over her life. Most of them were in the wilds of Canada. They were some of the happiest times she could remember. It wasn't often that she got to have him to herself without having to run for their lives. Most of the time they were together, it was during a mission or on one of his jaunts to Madripoor or Japan on personal business. Those treks usually consisted of Wolvie fighting the Hand or other bad guys and Jubilee being left in a hotel room to stew.

She didn't blame him for leaving her behind. She was, after all, a teenager. That didn't mean that she liked it She liked a good dust up as much as, or even more, than the next person. She just wished that their times together weren't spent fighting for their lives. Maybe that would change as she got older. She had to admit to herself that she still had a crush on him but she doubted that it would come to anything. She knew the type of woman he usually went after. She was nothing like them. She didn't have big breasts or long legs or red hair.

'Oh well,' she thought. 'Maybe in a few years, something might happen.' She would keep the flame going but she refused to put her life on hold for him. She was going to enjoy her youth even if he didn't appreciate it. She knew to keep her love life a secret from him. If she were to decide to become sexually active at her age, the boy would have trouble breathing when Wolvie was finished with him. That was one of the main reasons that she didn't actively search out a partner. Over protective parental figures were a pain and a blessing but she wouldn't have him any other way. His fierce protectiveness was one of the things that made him who he was.

Three hours later, she shook Tessa awake for her watch shift. They yawned a 'Good night' to each other and exchanged places. Jubilee curled herself into the warm blankets and scrunched into a ball to conserve heat. Within ten minutes, she was shivering miserably

She did the only thing she could think of to keep warm. She gathered her blanket and crawled over to Logan.

"Wolvie," she whispered. "I'm freezing."

He looked up at her and saw her shiver, her teeth chattering. He lifted the edge of his blanket, inviting her to share his warmth. She quickly scrambled in and curled up against his side. Jubilee had always thought Logan was handy to have around. He came with his own cutlery, he was stronger than an ox, he had a healing factor that kept him young and healthy but the one thing that she appreciated the most was that his body was like a perpetual furnace. On the coldest nights when she lived in the X mansion, she would curl against him in a desperate attempt to stay warm. She was a So Cal girl to the bone. She had trouble staying warm during the long New England winters she endured as a child. It was either sleep with her Wolvie or suffer hypothermia. He never seemed to mind much.

She didn't wake when Tessa woke him later in the night and took his place beside her.

Breakfast the next morning was 'Jerky a la Jubie' accompanied by a bottle of 2005 vintage water. Neither woman was too enthusiastic about the meal. As they resumed the hike, Jubilee could feel Wolverine's eyes watching them. She hated the feeling but she understood why he did it. She was afraid that the tactic was going to blow up in their faces.

They weren't able to travel as fast as they had the day before. It began to rain shortly after they stopped at midday to eat. The ground quickly became saturated and slippery. Logan slipped up to them an hour after the downpour began and directed them to a small cave nearby. The climbed up to it and squashed into the relatively dry hole in the ground. Jubilee attempted to remove the blankets from the pack and wrap them around her but there just wasn't the room.

"We can't stay here," Logan told them after watching the storm for two hours.

"Why?" Tessa asked, her teeth chattering.

"Too much rain," he told her. "The ground is saturated. Any more rain is goin' ta cause mudslides. I wanna be off this mountain before that happens."

"How much time do we got?" Jubilee asked.

The answer came in the form of a loud rumble.

"Oh, shit," Logan moaned. "Too late."


	7. Chapter 7

A wave of thick black mud washed over the opening of the cave, splashing all of them with the thick goo. Logan, in an attempt to keep himself from being washed out of the cave by the mess, pushed hard against the front of the cave, squashing the girls to the back.

"Wolvie!" Jubilee said in a strangled gasp. "I can't breathe."

"Sorry darlin'," he yelled over the roar of the mudslide. "Scoot back as far as ya can."

"Hey!" Tessa yelled. "There's a hole back here."

"Can ya get through it?" he asked, spitting mud out of his mouth.

"I think so." He heard a scraping sound and suddenly, Jubilee slid back away from him.

"I'm in," Tessa yelled from behind him. From the echo, the chamber was fairly large.

"In ya go darlin," he told Jubilee.

She scampered through the small opening "You're too big to get through, Wolvie." she called through the opening.

"Move back," he called to them. He twisted around and positioned himself so he could get at the opening. He legs were sticking out of the cave and being pulled by the mud. He flicked the claws on one hand and began to chip at the rock. Rock shards flew everywhere. He heard Tessa's hiss of pain as a rock chip hit her.

"Stand ta the side." he told them. When he could smell them to the left of the opening, he drew back his fist and slammed the claws hard into the rock. The wall crumbled and the opening was finally large enough for him to squeeze through. He retracted his claws and reached around him for the packs and threw them into the chamber. The pull on his legs from the mud was making it difficult to maneuver himself into the opening. Just as he got enough leverage to pull himself through, the mud gave a mighty yank on his legs. Scrambling to hold on and pull, he gasped as he felt something tear in his arm.

"Jubilee!" he yelled. "Help pull me in. I'm loosin' my grip."

Tessa and Jubilee both grabbed a shoulder and began to pull. Inch by inch, they pulled him into the chamber. When his feet finally cleared the mud, he was able to get a toehold and crawl through the hole. He rolled to his side, groaning in pain.

"Oh God, Wolvie!" Jubilee gasped. "Your arm!"

He looked down to see the triceps bunched up near his shoulder. "Damn." he swore. "Jubes, yer gonna hafta help me with this one."

"What do I need ta do?" she asked as she knelt next to him.

"Yer gonna hafta massage the muscle down so the ends can pull together." he gasped. "Use both hands and push from the top."

"Roll over," she ordered. He rolled to his stomach and extended his arm as best he could. Grabbing the top of is arm with both hands, she pushed down towards his hand as hard as she could. She got halfway when the powerful muscle resisted and snapped back. He howled in pain as the muscle jumped back to top of his arm.

"I don't have the strength," she cried. "I can't get it all the way down."

"I do," Tessa said from the darkness, her voice shaky from fear. "I'm not sure what I'm doing, but I'll help if I can. Just tell me when to stop."

She wrapped her hands around his arm and did exactly as Jubilee had done. The muscle stretched to his elbow.

"Hold it there," he said through gritted teeth.

Thirty seconds later, he told her to let go. The muscle held. He rolled to his back and sat up, flexing and extending his arm.

"This happen often?" Tessa asked.

"Sometimes," he admitted. "If I get my arm in a funny position, the muscles'll tear."

Jubilee was peering out of the opening to the mouth of the cave. "Looks like the mud's stopped flowing," she told them. "When can we get out of here?"

"Coupla days," Logan told her. "The goop is too runny ta walk on right now. We'd end up sinking."

"Can we have a fire?" she asked. "I can poke my head out and see if I can find some wood."

"Probably nothin' ta burn," he told her. "What's out there is gonna be too wet."

"Oh ye of little faith," she chastised him. "My paffs can dry out anything."

"Yer welcome ta try but don't step onto the mud." he warned her.

She returned with several large pieces of wood and an ominous report.

"There's mud as far as I could see." she told them. "Gonna be a while before we get outta here."

In the end, it was almost a week. The chamber they were in had plenty of water but no food. Logan had done his best but the mudslide had killed or scared off all the game. When they left the cave, they were very hungry.

We hafta find food," he told them as he lead them down the hill. "Jubilee knows how ta set a snare and I can hunt like I always do. What about you Tessa?"

"We need to get to and area that has living plants." she told him. "No animal is going to stay here until everything grows back. When we do, I can hunt with the knife. Snares take too long. We haven't eaten in two days and I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."

They found a clearing a mile past the edge of the mudslide and stopped.

"Can ya all find yer way back here?" he asked. Both girls nodded. "Ya see somethin' we can eat, kill it. Nothin' big, just rabbits or possum or other small game. Jubes, yer gonna hafta use the knife. Tessa's right. A snare'll take too long ta catch anythin'. Watch out fer the predators that have been shoved off the mountain. They'll be hungry too and ya both would be a good lunch fer one. Stay close. If anythin' happens Jubes, shoot off a paff and I'll come runnin'."

They promised to be careful and headed off into the trees. Logan watched them go, his expression worried. He hated to let them go off on their own but food had become critical. If they didn't eat soon, they would be too weak to travel.

Two hours later, he returned to the clearing with two rabbits and, of all things, a raccoon. Tessa showed up next with three rabbits. Jubilee wasn't far behind but was not carrying anything. When she got within five hundred yards of the clearing, he could tell why. She had been skunked.

"Wolvie?" she called.

"Stay there, darlin'," he yelled.

"How do I get this smell offa me?" she cried.

"Where'd ya get hit?"

"Legs." she called back. "I tried ta wash it off but it just got worse."

"It's an oil," he told her. "I think I saw somethin' ya can use. Head back ta the stream." He turned to Tessa. "Ya think ya can get these ready to cook? I need ta clean Jubilee up."

"Sure," she shrugged. "I used to hunt all the time."

"Great," he said as he grabbed a change of clothes and a bar of soap for the stinking girl. "We're gonna be a while but I can hear ya if ya need me."

He met Jubilee at the stream, making sure he was upwind of her. She looked miserable. The stink had made her eyes water so bad she was having trouble seeing where she was going.

"Strip," he told her. "Make sure ya throw yer clothes as far away as ya can.

"All of 'em?" she squeaked.

"Everythin'," he told her. "The smell's in everythin' ya got on. Yer gonna hafta get rid of it all."

"It ain't like I'm attached ta the clothes ya found fer me," she told him, "but I don't think I should be naked in front of ya."

"C'mon Jubes," he said, surprised at her modesty. "It ain't like I've never seen ya naked before."

"I've grown a bit since the last time." she said softly.

"Jubilee," he growled. "Get those smelly clothes off or I'll take 'em off fer ya."

"No ya won't," she challenged. "Fer one thing, the smell hasta be worse fer you than it is fer me. The other thing is I ain't thirteen. I'm seventeen."

He sighed in frustration. "Jubilation Lee, get out of those clothes." he ordered.

"Turn around," she told him defiantly.

"Oh fer," he ground out. "All right." He turned his back to her.

He heard the rustle of fabric and the zip of a zipper as she took off the ruined clothes. She grunted as the threw the stinking clothes as far as she could and the skunk scent decreased to almost tolerable. Her pants must have stopped most of it.

"My shoes are stinking, too." she told him. "Did ya pick up another pair fer me?"

"Tessa picked up extra shoes fer both of ya." he said. "Here's some soap." He tossed a white bar over his shoulder. It landed near her bare feet. "Wash from the top down, including yer hair."

He settled himself on a rock near the stream and waited as she bathed. The water was cold so she didn't dally. He could hear her teeth chattering as she washed.

"Gggoooddd, Wwwooolvvvvieee," she gasped. "Ssssooo ccoolld."

"Just finish quick," he told her. "I'll get ya warm when I can get near ya."

He heard her splash as she left the stream ten minutes later, her teeth chattering loudly.

He threw a bundle of leaves over his shoulder to her. "Mash the leaves in yer hand and rub them on yer legs. They'll take the stink away."

He heard the rustle of fabric as she put a shirt on, desperate to get warm.

"Ya need help?" he asked.

"Yeah," she sighed. "My hands are so cold that I can't hold the leaves. I keep droppin' 'em."

"Ya decent?" he asked.

"Got a shirt and panties on but no pants."

"That'll do." He turned to see her struggling with the handful of leaves he had thrown her. Several clumps fell out of her nerveless fingers landing on the ground and blowing away.

"I'll take over, darlin'," he told her. "Yer shiverin' too bad ta do it." He took the wad of abused greenery from her hands and crushed it in his own. When they were beginning to give up their juices, he bent and began to apply the sap to her legs. The odor of skunk was still too strong to his nose so most of the time, he was holding his breath.

He smoothed the sap over tight muscles and smooth skin. The only thing he could think of was 'Damn! Jubilee has some fine legs." He had to remind himself that she was seventeen, not twenty-one and still too young.

'She's yer best friend,' he scolded himself, trying to ignore the pert little butt peeking out from under the shirt. He continued to spread the juice on her skin. Soon, he could smell that she wasn't unaffected by his touch.

"Ya better stop," she told him in a shaky voice.

He pulled his hands away as if they were burned. He stepped back but continued to watch her as she dressed. The skunk smell was down to manageable to his nose and he was able to stand close enough to see her flushed face.

"Yer beautiful Jubes," he told her in a low voice, "but yer too young fer me."

"That doesn't keep me from loving ya," she said without looking at him. "I've loved ya since I was thirteen."

"I know," he said. "I ain't a pedophile, Jubes. I know ya love me and I know ya want me, but ya ain't old enough yet."

"Will I ever be?" she asked, piercing him with her sapphire eyes.

"I don't know" he admitted. "Yer my best friend and my partner. I'm not sure ya can be anything more than that."

"Would ya be willin' ta try in a few years?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know that either." he said. "Lot can happen in a few years. Ya could find a guy in LA that's everythin' I'm not."

"Like that's gonna happen," she scoffed.

"Don't wait fer me, Jubes," he told her. "I ain't worth it."

Her eyes flashed in anger. "Stop it," she hissed. "I ain't gonna let ya talk about yerself like that."

"But," he said.

"No," she growled. "You listen ta me, bub. Wolvie's my best friend and I owe him more than just my life. No one's gonna talk bad about him in front of me, not even you."

He knew she was adamant about this. She was strong. Sometimes, he thought she was stronger than him. She defended him to just about everyone. Sometimes, she shouldn't. There have been times when his actions were reprehensible and he should have taken his lumps and moved on. Jubilee wouldn't let him. She always rose the the challenge and defended him like a tigress defending her cubs. He wasn't kidding when he told people that she was his soul.

He loved her. He just wasn't sure he loved her as a woman. He had always known that she loved him and he was aware that her feelings for him had changed as she got older. He had hoped that she would find someone else and solve his problem but that would have been too easy. Jubilee never took the easy way out. He would eventually have to deal with it but not until she was older. He had a few more years grace.

"Go ta college," he told her. "Have a normal life. There's too much out there that can kill ya ta wait fer love."

"And if I don't find someone?" she asked.

"Then I guess I'll hafta deal with it." he told her. "Yer growin' up, Jubes but yer still too young ta tie yerself down. Go out on dates. I'll try ta keep the threats ta a minimum but don't be surprised if I call ya kid. Everyone's a kid ta me."

"I guess I can live with that," she agreed, "but don't be surprised if I yell at ya when ya call me kid."

"Habit," he said. "Damn, I need a cigar."

"Talk about yer stink," she snorted. "Those things won't kill ya but they're killin' yer social life."

"Nah," he smiled. It was an old, familiar argument. "Doesn't kill my social life. They just drive away the hoity toity ones. Them, I could do without."

"I'm hungry," she complained. "Let's eat."

They returned to the clearing to find Tessa struggling to start a fire. She had gathered a fair sized pile of wood and mounded some of in the middle of the clearing. Spent matches were scattered all around the circle of rocks she had placed. She was looking very frustrated and angry.

"I can't get the damned thing started," she almost cried. "Everything's just too wet."

"Hang on," Jubilee told her. "I'll get it going."

Tessa stepped back and allowed Jubilee access to the fire ring. The small teen directed a concentrated stream of plasma into the wood. Steam immediately began to rise from the pile. When the clouds of steam stopped billowing up, the wood caught with a woosh and began to burn brightly.

"There ya go," Jubilee said as she called in her power.

Tessa looked at the girl with new respect. "Next time I go camping, wanna go along?"

"Only if yer gonna camp in the Mall of America." Jubilee replied, picking up a rabbit and spitting it.

"I hadn't thought of that," Tessa said, thoughtfully. "Are you allowed to camp there?"

"Probably not," she shrugged, "but I know how ta avoid security. Used to live in a mall in So Cal before I met Wolvie."

"That was a long time ago, darlin'." Logan said. "Security systems have changed. Most of the new ones have motion sensors and pressure sensitive floors."

"Yeah," she sighed. "MoA'd have all that crap wouldn't they?"

"Guess yer gonna hafta be honest and buy the stuff ya want." he teased.

Jubilee had survived for over a year as a resident of a mall in California. She was able to avoid the roving security with the help of a sympathetic guard and her own reflexes. She made money for food by entertaining the shoppers with her fireworks displays. She didn't starve but she didn't thrive either. One day, she watched several women disappear into a circle of light and followed them, appearing in, of all places, Australia. There she was able to hide from the Reavers and observe a broken man being crucified and tortured by them. Why she helped him she could never explain, but she did. And the rest, as they say, is history.


	8. Chapter 8

They spent over an hour stuffing their stomachs with the game they had caught and making themselves sick. Both girls refused to touch the raccoon but Logan didn't mind. He was used to eating whatever was available, frequently uncooked. He actually preferred his meat raw or very slightly cooked. Tessa's face turned a little green when he tore into the 'coon without cooking it but Jubilee was used to this. She assured the queasy woman that he did this all the time and she would get used to it. Tessa doubted that.

When they were finished eating, Logan forced them up and continued their march home. Tessa told them she doubted she could eat again for several days she was so full. Logan assured her that, if she could keep the food down, she would be hungry again by nightfall.

"I don't think we'll be attacked fer a coupla days," he told them. "The rain should keep them off our trail long enough fer us ta get closer ta the border."

"I still don't understand what it is they want." she complained.

"Could be anythin'" Logan told her.

"But if her father and her ex-boyfriend sent teams out ta grab her, maybe it's not a good idea to take her back to either of 'em." Jubilee told him.

"Wasn't plannin' on it," he told her. "We're gonna go ta the mansion and have Hank and Chuck search ya fer whatever it is they're lookin' fer." he told Tessa.

"We gonna stop and phone home?" Jubilee asked.

"When we get ta the States," he told her. "I can't be sure of the people around here. Some of 'em could be working fer the slavers."

"Who are Hank and Chuck?" Tessa asked.

"Hank's the team doctor," Jubilee explained. "Brainy big blue guy. If they put anythin' on ya, he'll find it. Chuck is Charles Xavier. He's the guy that put the X-Men together. He's a telepath so if they hid anything in yer mind, he can find it."

Tessa stopped walking in astonishment. "You want a telepath to walk around in my mind?" she demanded.

"Don't worry," Logan told her. "He won't go anywhere ya don't want him ta be."

"I don't want him in my head at all." She told him.

"I'm hopin' it won't be necessary," he told her, "but if anyone crammed somethin' inta yer head, ya have the right ta know what it is."

"But I don't think I've ever even met a telepath."

"Ya can't know that," he told her. "A good one can remove the meeting from yer memories completely. Only another telepath can tell if yer mind's been tampered with."

"Believe us, Tessa," Jubilee said. "we know about telepaths."

They continued to hike on in silence. Tessa's thoughts where a whirlwind of strange new things. After her best friend had been killed, she never came in contact with another mutant. Jubilee and Logan were her introduction to high powered mutants. Knowing them and knowing their abilities made her even more angry at her father for some of the things he had done over the years. His latest foray into mutant research funding now seemed even more disgusting. Logan had already been used for experiments and suffered because of them. If anything like that ever happened to Jubilee, Tessa thought she might kill him.

At nightfall, Logan stopped the trek and they ate the cold remains of their hunt from the morning. The weather continued to be calm and warm so they didn't have to bunch together for warmth. Tessa was on watch when Jubilee had the nightmare. She had never been so frightened as she was when the girl screamed. Logan was up and over to her side before Tessa could even stand.

"Jubilee," he called. "Yer havin' a nightmare, kid. Wake up."

She continued to thrash and moan, unable to hear him. "Please, don't hurt me," she whimpered in a small voice. "I'm just a kid."

Logan could taste the bile rising in his throat. Bastian. It had been three years since the madman had taken her and tortured her, trying to get the location of the X-Men from her. It was one of his biggest failures with her. He hadn't even known she was missing from school.

He picked her up and settled her in his lap and began to rock. "I'm sorry darlin'," he whispered over and over. "I shoulda been there ta protect ya." He buried his nose in her hair, breathing in her fear. He kept telling her he was sorry for not being there for her.

He could have cried for what she went through but manly men don't cry. He kept telling himself this even as his eyes blurred with unshed tears. He felt her relax and wake up.

"Wolvie?" she said softly. "Why are ya crying?"

"Ya had a nightmare," he told her, "'bout Bastian."

She reached up and wiped away the single tear that fell to his cheek. "Not yer fault, Logan." she told him. "If it's anyones fault, it's mine for goin' with him in the first place. I shoulda known better."

"I coulda kept a better eye out fer ya," he said quietly. "I didn't even know ya were missin'."

Her eyes darkened with anger. "Stop it!" she hissed. "Frosty was responsible fer me then. She should have known I wouldn't have left and not called her. I may have gone off with ya on a whim at times but I always called her ta let her know I was safe. She should have know somethin' was up when she didn't hear from me."

He didn't have a response for her. Emma and Sean were her guardians at the time. They should have known she was missing and called the X-Men. That didn't change the fact that he was responsible for her. She was his partner.

"Wolvie," she said, grabbing his chin in her small hand and forcing him to look at her. "I don't blame ya fer what happened. I dug the hole myself when I went with him."

"But I was there," he moaned. "I didn't even smell ya in the buildin'."

"I know," she told him. "I saw them shove ya inta the incinerator. You were hurt real bad. He had me isolated in a small room. Ya couldn't have know I was there."

"I shoulda," he growled. "I felt that I was leavin' somethin' behind when I left. I shoulda paid attention ta that feelin'."

She grabbed his chin in her hands and forced him to look at her. "The past is past. You can't change what happened no matter how hard ya try. I woulda been happier if it never happened but it did. All we can do is cope and go on. That's why I went back to school."

"But did ya cope?" he asked. "Ya still have nightmares."

"So do you," she reasoned. "I'm a mutant. My whole life is a nightmare. The only thing good about it is you and my friends."

"Ya think it's that bad?" he asked.

"It's no picnic," she admitted. "Sometimes I wish I was normal. Then I think, 'Well hell. If I wasn't a mutant, I wouldn't have met Logan and the X-Men'. That makes me glad I am what I am." She snuggled against his wide chest with a sigh. "I love ya, Wolvie." she yawned.

"I love ya too, Jubes," he said, kissing the top of her head. "I'm glad yer a mutant."

He laid her back down in her nest of blankets, tucking her in as he had done so many times before. Raising his hand, he stroked her hair until she fell asleep again.

He got up and walked over to Tessa and sat beside her.

"What happened to her?" Tessa asked. "She was terrified."

"Operation: Zero Tolerance." he told her. "Jubilee was captured by Bastian and raped and tortured for information." He closed his eyes against the memory. "She was fourteen."

"Oh, my God!" Tessa whispered, horrified. "What kind of a monster would do such a thing to a child?"

'Snickt'. Logan held the claws up in front of him, his eyes red with anger. "A dead one." he swore.

"SHIELD got him, didn't they?" she asked, leaning away from the deadly claws.

He started, looking at the gleaming claws. He retracted them with a sigh. "Yeah, they did." It still rankled him that SHIELD got to the crazy bastard before he did. He was dead, yeah, but Logan was still pissed that he didn't get the chance to drive his claws into the O:ZT mastermind. He wasn't able to get his revenge for what Bastian did to his best friend.

"Go ta sleep," he told her. "I can't sleep after she has one a her nightmares."

She nodded and got up. Logan could hear her back pop as she stretched. She looked down on the top of his head.

"You're very close to her," she remarked.

"She saved my life first," he told her. "Then, she saved my mind. Without her, I woulda given in ta insanity a long time ago. I call her my 'lifeline'." He looked up at Tessa, his eyes glowing with his love for the petite girl. "I love her more than anyone else in the world."

Tessa's brows rose as he spoke. "She loves you too," she told him. "I just didn't know that you loved her as much as she loves you. Thanks."

"What fer?" he asked.

"I never knew what loved looked like," she explained. "Daddy never showed me and Mama died when I was a young child. I thought Brad loved me but seeing you and Jubilee together, I was very wrong. He didn't love me. He never showed me the kindness and concern that you show Jubilee. Now that I know what love looks like, I won't be fooled again."

With that, she went over to the fire and laid down to sleep.

They continued their march north without incident. Logan was getting nervous. There should have been another attack by now. Both groups of mercenaries knew they were heading for the boarder and should have attempted to stop them. Why hadn't it happened? He didn't think for a moment that they had given up and gone home. Maybe, seeing what they did to the previous teams, the others were renegotiating their contract. Whatever happened to them, the most dangerous part of the trip was coming up.

He sat them down on a log at midday on the fourth day after leaving the mudslide and talked to them.

"From here on out, we're gonna be exposed." he told them. "No help fer it. There's not much cover fer us until we cross the river."

"How much distance are we going to have to cross without cover?" Tessa asked.

"'Bout thirty miles." he told her. "There's rocks and scrub but no trees. The next attack'll come somewhere in there. The closer we get to the river, the greater the chance fer an attack. We all need ta stay on out toes fer the next coupla days."

"Are we gonna cross at night?" Jubilee asked.

"Don't make no difference," he told her. "They got night scopes."

"Wolvie," Jubilee asked, concern in her eyes, "how are ya gonna cross? With all the metal in yer body, yer gonna sink."

"I've crossed this river before." he told her. "There's a spot near Big Bend that's not too deep. I can walk across as long as the river's not in flood."

"Are we in the right place" Tessa asked.

"Don't worry," he told them. "I know where I am. I don't get lost."

The wind suddenly shifted and Logan stiffened.

"Wolvie?"

"Puma," he growled. "It's too close. Grab a knife and stay together. I'll be back." He ran off into the trees and disappeared.

Jubilee could hear the puma growling. The tone was entirely different than Logan's growls. She felt the hair on her arms prickle as she pulled her knife from her belt. She saw Tessa do the same.

"Back ta back," she told the older woman. "If it comes fer us, I can kill it but I may get hurt. If I don't get it, go for the throat."

Logan heard Jubilee give Tessa her instructions and smiled. She would take care of her. He could put his mind and skills to hunting the puma.

It wasn't that difficult. The animal was sick and stunk so bad that Jubilee could have smelled it. It didn't put up much of a fight. Odd that it didn't. It was a nursing female. He quickly located the cubs. Whatever had affected the mother was slowly killing the cubs. One was already dead when he found the den. He quickly killed the rest and buried the bodies. He didn't want whatever sickness they had to get out into the general cat population.

He returned to the girls after burying the mother and found them still warily looking around.

"It's dead," he told them. "Let's stay here. We need ta rest before we go on. Next few days are gonna be rough."

Jubilee and Tessa relaxed and began to set up camp.

"Must not have been too big," Jubilee said when she found time. "Yer not all ripped up."

"She was sick," he told her.

"She?"

"Had ta kill the cubs," he said. "They were sick too."

"How bad?"

"One cub was already dead. The other two were dying." He finished stacking wood for a fire. "Light this fer me." Jubilee sent a paff into the pile of wood and it caught instantly. "I couldn't leave 'em ta die of starvation and they were too sick ta take back with us so I had ta kill 'em."

"What did they have?"

"Smelled like anthrax." he told her. "Musta got it from a kill. We're gonna hafta be careful with game in this area. I need ta sniff every kill. I'll survive anthrax but you and Tessa won't."

They spent the remaining daylight hunting and preparing for the dash north. Logan found a clump of wild potatoes to add to their food supplies and Tessa was able to locate some edible greens. Dinner that night was wild turkey and potatoes with a dry salad. Not Jubilee's favorite meal but she could tolerate it.

"We're gonna be moving fast," he told them the next morning after they broke camp. "We ain't stoppin' unless I can find a safe place. That may mean that we walk for more than a day before we can stop but it will mean that we can stay fer a while when we are safe. Keep yer eyes open and pay attention ta the animals. They're gonna know if anythin' is comin' before you will. Watch out fer snakes. Mountain rattlers 'r thick in this area."

An hour later, they left the safety of the trees and entered the scrub and brush of the high desert. Even in the late winter weather, they could feel the sun beating down on their heads. It couldn't have been hotter that the mid 60's but the sun was hot enough to be very uncomfortable. They were soon bathed in sweat and their water supply began to dwindle.

"Are we gonna make it to the river before we run out of water?" Jubilee asked as she wrapped a strip of cloth around her forehead to keep the sweat out of her eyes.

"Should," he said. "Gonna hafta ration but we have enough ta make it ta Texas."

"Where are we crossing?" Tessa asked.

"'Bout a hundred miles east of the Big Bend." he told her. "River's narrower there and not too deep."

"Any towns near there?"

"Just ranches and open land. Not much water there but we can fill up from the river."

"And the ranchers?"

"They may be a problem. They don't like trespassers. They'll probably take a shot at us before we can convince 'em ta let us use the phone."

"Oh, that's good news," Jubilee said sarcastically. "How are we gonna get them ta listen when they're shootin' at us?"

"Don't worry 'bout it." he told her. "I got it covered."

"That's all fine and dandy fer you," she said. "A bullet won't kill ya but Tessa and I ain't so lucky."

"Don't worry about it, Jubes. I know the guy that owns the ranch we'll be crossin' ta."

"But Wolvie," she said.

"Drop it," he told her.

"Fine," she huffed, "but if I get shot, it'll be your fault."


	9. Chapter 9

It was early morning, two days later, that Logan found a small grouping of boulders that could shelter them for a while as they caught their breaths. Jubilee and Tessa were so tired that they were about to drop where they stood.

"Let me make sure there ain't any snakes in there," he told them as he disappeared into the cluster.

"I don't care if there's a whole nest of rattlers," Tessa complained to Jubilee. "I just want to sit down. I don't think I can take another step."

Jubilee didn't reply. "Jubilee?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

She walked over to the girl leaning against the rocks. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing easily. She was fast asleep, standing up.

"She used ta do this all the time when she was younger," Logan said quietly from behind her. "If I was ta hold her hand, she'd walk behind me, still asleep. I'm willin' ta bet she's been asleep fer the last four miles." He gently guided the girl into the rocks and sat her down. As soon as her bottom hit the ground, she toppled over and curled into a ball, still sleeping.

"Handy talent," Tessa said, softly. "If I were to try it, I'd end up in the Gulf Of Mexico."

"Go in and find a place ta sleep." he told her. "I'm gonna scout around first ta make sure we're alone here. Keep yer ears open. Jubilee sleeps pretty deep."

"I'll do my best, Logan but I haven't slept in two days." she told him as she trudged into the enclosure.

"I won't be long."

When he returned, she was stretched out on her side, asleep and snoring softly. He felt a small pang of guilt for pushing them so hard but they were close enough to make the river by the next night. He could smell it in the distance. They were almost home and in extreme danger. The next attack would come tomorrow.

They stayed until midday the next day. He wanted to make sure they were well rested. They were eating the last of the wild turkey while he told them what to expect.

"We're about half a day from the river," he told them. "There's plenty of places for these guys ta hide in so we're gonna hafta keep our eyes open."

"Can you smell anything yet?" Tessa asked.

"Not yet," he admitted, "but that don't mean they ain't out there. One o' the groups knows I track by scent."

"How do they know that?" Jubilee demanded.

"Tessa's father hired me ta find her and bring her home, Jubes. I needed ta get inta her apartment ta get her scent and he gave me a key."

"So ya told him ya track by scent?" she hollered.

"Keep yer voice down," he hissed. "Sound travels, and no, I didn't tell him. Fury did."

"Why the hell would he do something like that?" she asked, still angry. "He gave up a tactical advantage ta this guy."

"Watch yer language," he growled. "Ya ain't me yet."

"Oh fer chrissake," she hissed. "Some of these yahoos know what ya can do and yer complaining about my language."

"They don't know everything," he told her. "And they don't know squat about you. Yer the ace in the hole."

"Me?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

"We're goin' at night." he explained. "Yer paffs can blind 'em so they can't track us as we cross. I know Emma was working with ya on controllin' 'em and puttin' 'em where ya needed 'em ta be. I need ya ta do that here."

She thought about it for a while. She may be able to do it but it would take all the energy she had. Logan had a lot of faith in her. She hoped like hell it wasn't misplaced.

"I can't guarantee I can control that may paffs, Wolvie." she told him. "If they're clumped together, I only need ta send two but if they're spread out, I'm gonna need ta send individual globs to each of 'em. That's gonna take a lot of energy."

"How are yer reserves?"

"I haven't had much sugar," she told him. "I'm kinda low right now."

"Do the best ya can," he told her. "I'll take care of the ones ya can't get."

"Are ya sure about this?" she asked. "I'm gonna pass out. I won't be any good ta ya fer a while."

"I don't think we have much of a choice. I don't project power like ya do and Tessa doesn't have powers."

"Alright," she said slowly. "Let me eat as much as I can. Maybe I can build up some reserves."

"We have a quarter moon tonight so there shouldn't be much light," he told them. "Jubilee'll cross first and take up a position on the opposite bank. Make sure ya got plenty o' cover." She nodded. "Tessa, yer gonna go next. Stay low and don't give 'em a target. If ya hear anything, start weaving but don't stop moving. I'll cover yer backs and cross after Tessa. I'm hopin' they won't see us crossin' at all," Jubilee interrupted him with a snort that Logan ignored, "so I need ya ta hold off till they start shootin'."

"This would go so much easier if we could eliminate them now and cross after," Tessa told him.

"We don't know how many there are this time," he said. "We're so close to gettin' away from 'em that they probably have extra men in place ta take care of us."

"Can't we go downstream a bit and cross there?" asked Jubilee.

"Two reasons." he told her. "The shallow part of the river is here. It gets real deep just fifty yards downstream. The other reason is we're almost out of water. We won't make it to the next ford."

"How deep is the river here?" she asked, suspiciously.

"Just under five feet."

"But Wolvie," she protested, "I'm only five feet tall and yer not much over."

"Ya can swim it." he told her. "It ain't that far."

"But _you_ can't. Yer gonna sink and drown."

"Don't worry 'bout me, darlin'." he told her. "I've crossed here before. I know how ta do it. I'm gonna make sure we're still alone." He left the enclosure to scout the area, leaving Jubilee fuming.

"Stupid, macho poophead," she grumbled. "Gonna get himself killed with these wild schemes."

"Eat," Tessa told her, shoving the turkey in her hands. "No way in hell you'll be able to change his mind. You aren't in enough danger from this for him to alter his plans."

Jubilee took the meat from her with a sigh. "Ya saw that, huh?"

"Hard to miss," Tessa said as she sat down beside her. "If it weren't for you being here, I'm willing to bet he'd have us crossing in broad daylight just to get home sooner."

Jubilee tore into the turkey, enjoying the wild flavor of the meat.

"I've never had anyone who loved me like that," Tessa told her quietly. "My father ignored me after Mother died. He couldn't stand the idea that I survived the crash and she didn't. He's still cold towards me but he's the only family I have."

"Yer Mom died in a car wreck?"

"Yeah. I was six at the time. I got a broken arm and a slight concussion but Mother died. Daddy was devastated. He made sure I had everything I needed. Everything but his love."

Jubilee picked at the meat with her fingers. "My parents died in a car wreck," she told Tessa. "It was arranged by a coupla guys because my Dad refused to launder their money in his bank. I was ten. I got shuffled from foster home to foster home for awhile before my powers manifested and I ended up in juvie. They were gonna send me to China to my grandparents when I snuck out and ran away."

"And you found Logan and the X-Men. You found love to replace what you had lost. I envy you his love. I never found anyone to replace what I lost."

Logan took his time scouting the area. He wanted to make sure they could get to the river without anyone stopping them. He found and eliminated an advance guard not too far from where they were holed up. The two men had canteens so he was able to add to their supply without exposing their position.

He returned to the girls to find them deep in conversation about shoe styles. He could never understand why females could remember a fashions tiniest nuance but couldn't remember where they put the car keys when they came in from the garage. The female mind drove him batty.

"Let's go," he ordered. "We need ta get to the river by full night."

"How are we gonna do this?" Jubilee asked.

"Head west," he told them. "The rocks are too difficult to climb over fer a guy with a heavy pack. There won't be many hidden there."

"Isn't ours too heavy?" Tessa asked. She had toted the pack. She knew how heavy it was.

"We're leavin' the big one behind. I shifted all the water we have left and the medical supplies to the smaller one."

The moved out, going west. The trail was much more difficult than the one from the previous day. What Wolverine had called rocks were actually boulders; some as large as a small house. Had they taken a straight line to the river, they would have made it in just under two hours. Taking the rocky, difficult path to the west, they would get there around midnight. By the time they made their way to the ford, Tessa and Jubilee were a mass of bruises and bloody scrapes.

They hid in a clump of brush near the river. The ford appeared well used. The ground was stirred by numerous pairs of feet over the years so the crossing was well marked. Logan had located the scattered men hidden in the scrub and rocks and pointed them out to Jubilee. She marked their positions in her mind. She wasn't going to be able to get away with a few large paffs. The men were spread out in an arc that covered nearly a half mile. She peered across the river and saw the dark shapes of trees and bushes jutting up from the ground. Logan assured her that there were rocks as well so she would have cover on the other side.

"Stay low in the water," he told her. "Try not ta make any noise. When ya get ta the other side, get into the bushes. Stay long enough ta catch yer breath then move on to the rocks. Yer gonna need good cover. If ya can find a place that lets ya move around a little, ya should be able ta confuse 'em a bit." He grabbed her chin and forced her to look in his eyes. "Be careful, Jubes."

"I will," she promised. She gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. Before he could kiss her back, she was into the water and gone.

A nerve racking fifteen minutes later, he saw her emerge on the other side and dart into the bushes. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He waited another five minutes for her to catch her breath and move to better cover before sending Tessa in. It also gave his heart time to stop pounding.

"Take this," he said, handing Tessa the small pack. "I need ta keep my hands free. When ya get out, slip into the bushes just like Jubes did. As soon as ya can, get away from the bank and hide. I'll find ya."

She impulsively gave him a hug and kiss as Jubilee had done. "Be careful, Logan," she warned. "Watch out for the Minutemen."

"Go." he hissed.

She turned and waded into the water and was gone.

He waited five minutes before he acted. He knew Jubilee would yell at him for doing this but he wanted to reduce the odds against them. Let the hunt begin.

The first soldier wasn't that far away. Why the fool hadn't heard them as he sent the girls into the river he didn't understand. He also didn't care. He took the man out with a quick thrust of his claws. He made a quick search of the body but found nothing, not even identification. The next body he searched was the same. He took out seven of the men watching the river but more remained. He couldn't wait any longer. Jubilee would soon come after him. He made his way back to the river and entered the cold water.

He had crossed this river several times but never in winter. The cold water soon leached the warmth from his body and he found himself shivering. He tilted his head back, keeping his nose above water as it rose. Soon, he was walking along the bottom, his head thrown back and looking at the starry sky. His innate sense of direction kept him moving in the right direction even though he couldn't see where he was going. Every instinct was screaming for him to watch where he was going but he squashed it down. He needed to cross quickly before the cold seeped into the metal coating his bones. If that happened, the only thing that would warm him was one of Jubilees most powerful paffs.

He had just gotten to where he could begin to tilt his head back down when he hear shouts from the Mexican side of the river. He had been spotted. Bullets plinked into the water beside him as the men started shooting. He felt the sting as a bullet grazed his neck and another pierced his shoulder. He howled in pain as two more bullets hit; one in the back, another lodging in his cheek.

"Noooooo," he heard Jubilee shriek and the fireworks began. He could tell she was mad. The paffs she was sending across the river were not the low powered one she used to deter idiots. These were high powered blasts, designed to kill.

He crawled on the bank, coughing the water and blood out of his lungs. His chest tickled. 'Crap,' he thought. Most of the time, he could expel bullets through his skin, usually out the same way they went in. Once in a while, his body would choose a different path. The coughing continued for a few minutes before he finally coughed up the bullet that had lodged in his lung. The coughing quieted quickly. He was just about to stand when he heard a stray bullet whiz over his head followed by an "Eeep" of surprise and he knew; Jubilee had been hit.

He let loose a roar of anger and frustration. He couldn't get to the shooter. He turned back, intending on crossing the river and killing the shooter. He took two more hits. The one in his thigh didn't bother him. The gut shot, however, hurt like hell and dropped him to his knees.

"Logan!" Tessa yelled. "She's alive but we need to get help." He made his way to the scent of Jubilee's blood as fast as he could. His wounds were healing but he was in pain now. They would need a few minutes before they could move on. He heard a splash behind him and risked a look back. Three men had entered the river and were on their way across.

"We hafta move," he told Tessa breathlessly. "They're comin' across."

"Are you going to be able to walk?" she asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine," he told her. "Where'd ya get hit Jubes?"

"Shoulder," she told him. "Give me a piece of gauze and I'll be okay."

"Lemme see," he said, pulling her top down to bare her shoulder. "Not too bad. Just a flesh wound." The wound was deep and still bleeding freely. It had missed the bone and taken a fair sized hunk out of the muscle but it should heal. He pulled a bandage out of the bag and wrapped the wound.

"Let's go." He picked her up and placed her on her feet. "We need ta get outta here before they make it across the river." He knew better than to pick her up right now. She wouldn't appreciate it and may get mad enough to hurt him. He'd let her walk for a while. It wouldn't be long before the blood loss made her weak.

He looked at Tessa and moved his head, imperceptibly indicating Jubilee. She gave a slight nod. She would keep track of her.

They moved out, walking as quickly as they could. The bullets worked their way out of his body and dropped to the ground as they went. He was getting lethargic. That gut shot did more damage than he thought. He desperately needed to slip into a healing coma.

They were walking for fifteen minutes when Tessa called his name. He turned to see Jubilee swaying on her feet. He was able to catch her before she fell. He caught the scent of horses as he swept her up in his arms. He heard a rifle cock just before a voice floated out from the trees.

"I told ya never ta come back, mutant." a man's voice growled angrily from the darkness.


	10. Chapter 10

Logan froze. He knew that voice and the threat wasn't idle. It wouldn't take much to make the rancher shoot.

"We need help," Tessa pleaded. "She's hurt and there are mercenaries after us."

A horse walked out of the trees, ridden by a tall man of about 60. He looked at Logan, nodding his head. His gaze shifted to the blood soaked shoulder of the girl Wolverine was holding. She was obviously not Mexican.

"Logan." he nodded to the smaller man.

"Chapman." Logan acknowledged with a small nod of his own head.

"Collin, Dusty and Mike. Go to the riverbank and send the mercs back." he ordered. "Pete, take the girl back to the house and have Doc look at her."

Three mounted men came out of the trees and headed to the river. A fourth came out of the trees and dismounted. He walked over to Logan with his arms out. Logan began to growl in warning.

"Pete'll take her ta the doctor, Logan," Chapman said. "Yer in no shape ta take her yerself."

"I'm fine," Logan growled.

"Ya need ta heal," Chapman corrected. Gunshots in the distance told him his men were doing what he told them to do. "From the amount of blood on yer shirt, ya need a healin' coma ta recover."

"Don't worry 'bout me."

"Give the kid ta Pete, ya stubborn cuss. I ain't gonna hurt her. We've known each other fer too long ta play this game."

Logan looked at the young man in front of him. The kid didn't smell like he was going to try anything but this was Jubilee. He couldn't just hand her over.

He shook his head and looked up at Chapman. "Can't do it Jim," he told the old man.

"Can't we just lift him up onto a horse?" a man said from behind Chapman. "He's just a little dude."

"I wouldn't try it if I were you." Chapman warned as Logan's growling increased in volume. "I've known him fer twenty years. He ain't never been beat in a fight."

"Wolvie?" Jubilee said weakly. "I don't feel so good."

"Ya lost a lot of blood, kid." he told her softly. "I'm tryin' ta negotiate somethin' fer ya right now." He looked back to Chapman. "I promise I'll behave if ya let us stay long enough fer her to get a little stronger but I can't let ya take her from me. Gimme a horse and I'll carry her ta the house."

Chapman looked at him closely, coming to a decision. "Give him yer horse, Webber."

"Why me?" Webber demanded.

"Ya have the strongest animal."

"So? He's just a little runt."

"He's a hell of a lot heavier than he looks," Chapman told him. "Get off yer horse and help him get mounted." He looked back at Logan. "As I remember, you and horses don't get along too well. I'll help ya control yer mount."

Chapman and Webber dismounted. Tessa had been riding horses since she was very young but she never saw anyone do what Chapman did to the horse. He took off his shirt and tied it around the its nose.

"Why the hell are ya doin' that?" Webber demanded.

"I told ya, I know this guy," Chapman said, irritated. "When the horse catches his scent, it'll bolt. It thinks he's a predator. My scent on the shirt should keep it calm enough fer us ta get back ta the house without the dumb animal takin' off with 'em."

After a great deal of maneuvering and grunting on Webber's part, Logan was finally mounted on the horse with Jubilee settled in his arms. Tessa climbed up behind Chapman and the group rode off to the house, making sure Logan remained downwind of the rest of the horses.

Logan had to admit; Chapman was right. He was very weak. The wounds had mostly healed but the one in his belly. The bullet was still inside him but he could feel the small chunk of metal moving closer to the surface. It wouldn't be long before the sucker came out and when it did, the blood pooled behind it would come gushing out. Chapman would be able to handle it but he doubted Tessa would like it much.

By the time they got to the ranch house, the bullet was just below the surface. Someone had evidently called ahead. A middle aged man Logan recognized as the ranch vet came running up to him as they reined in. This man, Logan knew he could trust. He handed Jubilee over to him and slid from the back of the horse. He had taken half a dozen steps toward the house when the bullet popped free, followed by a goodly amount of dark blood.

"Oh, shit!" he swore as he fell to his knees, clenching his belly.

Chapman stooped beside him and looked at the sticky fluid dripping from his hands.

"Gut shot, huh?"

"Yeah," Logan groaned. "I hate when that happens."

"Can ya walk?"

"Just help me up." Logan said, testily.

When Logan woke, he couldn't remember getting into the house and to bed. He opened his eyes and looked around. Yeah, this was a familiar room. Last time he was here, he had been gored by a bull.

"Hey." Jubilee said from the door. "Nice ta see ya awake finally."

"Hey, Jubes. How ya feelin'?"

"Little sore," she shrugged as she sat on the bed. "Doc Davis put a coupla stitches in my shoulder and told me ta take it easy fer a few days. Tessa's been teachin' me how ta ride. It's kinda cool. She been ridin' like, forever. All the guy 'r droolin' over her like she's some piece of meat. We were goin' ta go out this mornin' but my ass is so sore, I don't think I could sit on a horse so I told 'em I'd keep an eye out fer ya. Everyone else is out doin' ranch stuff."

"Take a breath, darlin'." he interrupted.

"Sorry," she apologized. "Didn't mean ta get verbal diarrhea."

"How long have I been out?" he asked as he sat up and stretched.

"Day and a half," she told him. "Doc said ya got gut shot. He was kinda worried and the others were goin' on like ya were gonna die. Jim told 'em you'd be fine after yer coma."

"Jim?" Logan asked.

"Yeah," she said happily. "Jim Chapman. He says he knows ya from way back. He's kinda cool fer an old guy."

"Terrific." Logan grumbled.

"Why are ya being such a sour puss?" she demanded.

"Nothin'."

"Come on, Wolvie, ya can't fool me. I know ya too well. What's buggin' ya?"

He knew by the tone of her voice she wasn't going to let it go. Jubilee was about as pigheaded as they come.

"Jubes, Chapman and I go back a few. He's not very happy I'm here."

"Why?"

"Long story." he mumbled.

"I'll bet," she giggled. "Get up. You need a shower and a change of clothes." She got up and headed for the door. "There's a late breakfast fer ya in the kitchen."

He came into the kitchen thirty minutes later in clothes that didn't fit but at least he was clean. He found Jubilee sitting at the table, drinking a glass of orange juice and reading a book.

"Ya call the mansion?" he asked as he piled food on his plate.

"Not yet," she told him, not looking up from her book. "I wasn't sure when ya'd wake up so I waited. Ya want me ta call now?"

"Nah," he told her as he poured a cup of coffee from the pot. "I'll call after I eat."

"K" she said, still engrossed in her book.

"Whatcha readin'?"

"Lady Chatterley's Lover." she told him.

Logan choked on the mouthful of eggs. "What are ya readin' a book like that fer?" he gasped, trying to clear his throat.

"Tessa told me it's good," she said. "It's not too bad. Kinda PG."

"I'm not so sure ya should be readin' a book like that." he said, finally getting the egg unstuck.

"Why?" She finally looked up from the page. She saw what he was wearing and started to giggle.

"Don't laugh," he grumped. "It's all Jim had that would fit me."

Logan was resplendent in a very bright Hawaiian print shirt and brown shorts. It was light years away from the usual flannel and jeans he always wore. The colors were so garish that Jubilee liked them, and her taste in color ran toward the loud end of the spectrum.

"Back to that book." he changed the subject. "It has some things in it ya don't need ta know about yet."

"Ya mean sex?"

"Well," he stuttered.

"Logan, I've seen worse on cable TV. This is nothing."

"Still..."

"Wolvie," she sighed, "I love ya but ya can be so old fashioned sometimes."

"It's not old fashioned ta want ta take care of ya," he objected.

"It is if ya cramp my style."

"Jubilee?" he said in a low growl of frustration. She still hadn't talked about it and she need to. Things had happened to her while she was a prisoner of Bastion that he didn't know and it looked like he would never know. She never shut him out like this before. He suspected some of them. He knew, without a doubt, one of them, the one thing she would never tell him.

"Talk ta me, darlin'." he begged. He had been trying to get her to talk about it for three years.

"Don't go there, Logan." she told him. "There are things you don't want ta know."

She finished her orange juice and put the glass in the sink. She came over and gave him a one arm hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't forget ta call the mansion." she told him as she left him to his thoughts.

He exhaled loudly as she left the kitchen. Why wouldn't she talk to him? She had to know that he knew what happened. It wouldn't come as a surprise to him and he could help her overcome the trauma.

He finished his breakfast in a funk. Placing his dirty dishes in the sink, he grabbed a second cup of coffee and called the mansion. After arranging transportation to New York, he went out to the backyard. Jubilee was sitting under a large oak talking to Jim's grandson David.

Here was the bone of contention between Logan and Jim. Every time Logan showed up at the ranch, he was a few days ahead of a group of big guns. Last time he was here, David had been caught in the crossfire and was injured. Jim was still pissed at him for bringing trouble to his home and getting his only grandchild almost killed.

"You leaving?" Jim asked from behind him. Logan turned to look at the big rancher.

"I've called fer our ride," he informed him. "Should be here in a few hours."

"That the kid ya were tellin' me about?"

"That's Jubilee."

"Ballsy kid. Got in Webber's face when he wanted ta leave ya out fer the coyotes. Yer dead weight when yer unconscious."

Logan snorted in laughter. "That's Jubes," he chortled.

"Who's after ya this time?"

"They ain't after me this time. They're after Tessa."

"She the one that's got my men fergettin' ta do their chores?"

"Yep."

"Nice lookin' woman," Jim said. "Wouldn't mind seein' more o' her."

Logan looked at him astonished. "I never thought I'd hear ya say that, Jim. I always thought ya'd never get over Mary's death."

"My Mary's been dead fer fifteen years, Logan." Jim said sadly. "In all those years, I've never met a woman who could take her place. Tessa's a lot like her. Beautiful and kind, but hard when she needs ta be, and she knows ranchin'." He turned and looked at Logan. "I'm lonely," he told the shorter man. "David's grown now. I want someone in my life who can bring me the peace I've been lookin' fer. I think we all look fer that, especially you."

"Me?" Logan asked, surprised.

"Don't ya ever get lonely, Logan?"

"I get plenty o' female companionship." evaded Logan.

"I ain't talkin' 'bout gettin' laid, I'm talkin' bout someone ya can talk ta. Someone that knows ya inside and out. Someone that when ya make love ta her, ya feel like yer finally whole. That's what I had with Mary. That's what I'm lookin' fer now."

"The other half of yer soul," Logan murmured, his eyes intent on the dark haired girl under the tree.

"Yeah," Jim sighed.

Logan's head came up sharply as the scents of horse and sweat reached him.

"Trouble," he growled.

In the distance, a rider was approaching the house at a fast gallop. Chapman shielded his eyes with a hand, looking at the horse and rider.

"That's Pete," he told Logan. "He's supposed ta be ridin' herd today."

The rider skidded to a stop near the two men, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Five men," he gasped as he slid heavily from the horse, "in the sou'west pasture. Headin' this way. Lot's o' guns."


	11. Chapter 11

"Dammit Logan," Chapman swore. "Ya get my kin hurt again; even yer healin' factor ain't gonna save ya."

Logan ignored him. "Jubilee!" he hollered. "We got trouble."

Jubilee abandoned her book under the tree and ran toward Logan, David hard on her heals.

"Find Tessa and get her ta the cellar." Chapman told David. "Stay there till I tell ya ta come out." David nodded and ran off to toward the near corral.

"Stick with Tessa and David," Logan told Jubilee. "Ya should be safe with them."

"I can take care of myself," she told him angrily."

"Do what I say, Jubes. I can't concentrate if ya ain't safe."

"Fine," she huffed, "but you and I are gonna have words after this is over."

"I'll be glad ta argue with ya later but right now, I need ya ta get in the house."

From her posture as she stomped toward the house, he could tell she was angry.

"Jubes," he yelled. She turned back and looked at him with fire in her eyes. "Protect Tessa and David." She nodded sharply and ran into the house.

"Can she protect them?" Chapman asked.

"Yeah," Logan told him. "She won't let anyone hurt them."

Another rider came from the other side of the house. "'Nother bunch from the south east. Seven gunmen. Collin says a group comin' in from the north. This is lookin' kinda hairy."

"Ya got guns in the house?" Logan asked.

Chapman rolled his eyes."Please!"

"Tessa says she knows guns. I don't think we can afford ta have them hide. We need all the guns we can get."

"For a dozen or so guys?" Chapman asked, surprised. "Ya can handle a dozen on yer own. Why do ya need ta call out the kids?"

"If I could be sure it's only a dozen, I wouldn't." Logan told him. "These guys 'r sneaky. They're seasoned soldiers. They won't have all their men visible. I'm willin' ta bet there's another dozen or two hidden."

"How much longer before yer friends get here?" Chapman asked, worried about his family.

"Maybe two hours," Logan told him. "Depends on how much Cyke wants ta yell at me fer gettin' Jubilee in a fix."

Chapman gave a bark of laughter. "Let's get 'em outta the cellar and arm 'em."

"Jubes won't need no gun," Logan told him. "I ain't sure she even knows how ta shoot one."

He followed the big man into the house. "Jubilee," he yelled from the top of the cellar stairs. "Bring everyone up. We're gonna need more hands."

He heard loud tromping as the three ran up the stairs.

"What's up?" Jubilee asked her mentor.

"Army comin'," he told them. "Yer all gonna hafta grab a weapon and fight. Jubes, you stick with me. Ya think ya can fall back inta yer fighting role?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "I never really stopped.

Tessa and David were grabbing rifles and ammo from the gun safes. They quickly loaded the guns and picked up as many boxes of bullets as they could carry. Chapman positioned them carefully. He knew his home and he knew which areas were weak. Logan went out to look for a good place for an ambush while Jubilee called the mansion and asked Hank to tell the team to speed it up. When she hung up the phone, David was behind her.

"Are you really going out there to fight with Uncle Logan?" he asked.

"That's what I do," she told him. "I've been protecting his back for a long time. I'll be fine."

He looked at her, doubtfully. She was 5'0" and very fine boned. She looked as if a good blow would break every bone in her body. He knew she was strong, mentally but he couldn't believe that this tiny girl could hold her own against an army, even with Logan's bulk there to shield her.

She read the emotions flashing across his face. "Don't worry, David," she told him, her hand going to his cheek, "Me and Wolvie have been partners fer a long time. He won't let me get hurt."

He wouldn't be able to explain later why he did it. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her thoroughly. When he lifted his head, her eyes were glittering.

"That was nice," she whispered. She pulled him back down for another. Her encouragement made him bold. He brushed his tongue against her lips, begging for more. She parted her lips and deepened the kiss.

Tessa watched them as they explored each others mouths and shook her head. Oh, to be that young and innocent again.

The sound of gunfire made them jump apart. Jubilee smiled at him and ran out of the door.

"She's gonna get herself killed," he mumbled.

"She's a mutant with an offensive power," Tessa told him. "She needs to be out there. He won't let her get hurt. You, however, may get hurt when he finds out that you kissed her."

"He won't know if you don't tell him," David insisted.

Tessa snorted. "Get ready," she warned. "Here they come."

"Ya ready, Jubes?" Wolverine asked as she ran up to him.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she told him. "Where are they?"

He sniffed the air deeply. "All around us." he told her. "I'm headin' fer the trees. Keep 'em away from the house."

"I'll be on the roof," she told him, running for the house.

"Jubilee!" he called after her. She turned and looked at him. "Be careful."

"I will," she promised.

He watched as she slipped into the house and was gone. He ran for the trees and into his natural environment. Jubilee emerged from a top window and flipped up to the roof. He had seen her do that at the mansion many times but he always had to swallow his heart every time she did it.

She'll be fine, he told himself as he went into action. Time to hunt the prey. He quickly found two snipers setting up in the trees around the house and took them out. He debated not killing them and turning them over to the police but he just couldn't take the chance that one could get free and hurt any of his charges.

He cleared the woods on the east side of the house fairly quickly. From where he was, he could hear gunfire coming from the house and the screams of the soldiers as Tessa and the ranch hands found their targets. A bright blue paff flew over his head and splashed against a tree fifty yards ahead of him, knocking the gunman hiding in it to the forest floor. Wolverine quickly killed him and moved on.

For two hours, he worked. Jubilee kept her eye on him and sent paffs to cover him from time to time but for the most part, she restricted herself to the area around the house. Finally, the descending Blackbird scattered the remaining soldiers. He came out of the trees to meet the team as they hopped out of the plane.

"Thanks fer the ride," he told Cyclops as he walked down the ramp.

"What is going on, Logan?" Cyclops demanded.

"Long story," Logan said. "I'll tell ya on the way back."

"Hey, sugah," he heard Rogue call from overhead.

"Hi Rogue," he greeted her. "Do me a favor and get Jubes off of the roof fer me?"

"Sure Logan." She flew off to the house to pick up her charge.

"Ya gonna introduce us?" Chapman asked.

"Jim Chapman, this is Cyclops and up on the roof is Rogue."

"X-Men?" he asked.

"Yes," Cyclops confirmed. "What's been gong on?"

"Been fightin' a war," Chapman told him. "Kinda fun, ya know."

"Hey Cyke," Jubilee called from above. She was cradled safely in Rogue's arms, waving like mad. As soon as Rogue touched down, Jubilee grabbed her and gave her a big hug. She spun on her heals and threw herself into Cyclops' arms.

"It's so great ta see ya again," she said giving him a big hug. "I missed ya. Where's Jean and Remy? Is Bobby still shuffling numbers in Chicago? How's Emma and Sean? Is Paige with ya? Is Storm still with mummf." Logan clamped a hand over her mouth to stop her tirade.

"He can't answer yer questions if ya don't give him a chance, Jubes" Logan told her. "We need ta get Tessa and leave. I don't want ta bring anymore trouble ta Jim if I can avoid it."

"The ones that got away'll recognize the jet and stay away." Jim told him. "Most people don't want ta tussle with the X-Men."

They heard the front door bang as Tessa and David ran out of the house. Logan spotted a small cut on her cheek that was bleeding slightly but David appeared no worse for wear. Tessa was grinning broadly.

"Man, I haven't had so much target practice in years." she exclaimed as she skidded to a stop near Jubilee. "You okay, Jubilee? You stink of gunpowder."

"I'm fine," she assured the older woman. "My paffs make me smell like black powder. It'll wash out. Tessa, this is Scott Summers, also known as Cyclops. He's the leader man of the X-Men." She gave Rogue a big hug. "And this is Rogue."

Her eyes went very wide. "I am so pleased to meet you Mr. Summers," she said taking his hand n a vigorous handshake. "I'm Tessa Madison. I've followed your team for years and have been very impressed. You do a difficult job with grace and dignity."

"Thank you Ms. Madison," Scott said, surprised. "We do our best."

"Please, call me Tessa."

"If you'll call me Scott."

"Can we get on with it?" Logan interrupted, grumpily. "I'm ready ta go home and get some of my own clothes."

"I was going to ask you about the neon shirt," Scott said with a smirk. "Must have been hard to hide with that thing on."

"Oh, shut up," Logan grumbled under his breath. "Get in the plane. It's time ta go."

"Logan," Chapman said, "next time ya come, make it without the guns followin' ya."

"I'll try, Jim," Logan said as he shook the ranchers hand. "Thanks fer takin' us in." He released the big hand and strode up the ramp into the plane.

"Bye David," Jubilee said to the young man beside her. "I'll write ya and let ya know where I am when I get home." She pulled him down and kissed his cheek. "Thanks Jim. I'll make sure Wolvie calls ya every once in a while." She turned and ran up the ramp, following her mentor.

"Jim," Tessa started.

"Tessa, would you be interested in going out ta dinner with me?" Chapman interrupted.

Tessa blushed pink with pleasure. "Sure," she told him. "I live in San Antonio but I won't be back there until we get this straightened out."

"Call me when you get to Logan's home," he told her.

"I will." she promised as she walked up the ramp.

Scott and Rogue boarded the jet and closed the ramp. The ranch residents moved away from the plane and watched as it rose gracefully into the sky and shot forward.

The trip back to New York was uneventful. Logan took the time to fill Scott in on what had been happening since he left the mansion. He was concerned about how hard they were trying to capture Tessa and agreed that she needed to stay with the X-Men until they could unravel the mystery.

Tessa was impressed with Scott's skill as a pilot. She had been flying small planes since her sixteenth birthday and knew how difficult it was to land a vertical take off jet. Scott was able to land the plane in the hanger concealed in the side of a cliff without a bump. She ached to try out the plane but knew it would never happen. This was a combat jet and the X-Men guarded it closely.

Jubilee's homecoming wasn't as happy as she had hoped. She was furious. Jean was dead and no one had told her. She was glad to see Emma but was unhappy to see that she was with Scott. Bobby had returned to the mansion but was stuck in ice form. Havoc was back and acting strange. Bobby and Alex spent most of their time looking daggers at each other so the tension in the mansion was at epic proportions. Remy was gone and hadn't been seen in several months. Rogue said she was okay with the situation but Jubilee could tell she wasn't.

Professor Xavier had tried to calm her as she stomped through the mansion in a temper but she wasn't having any. Just because she wasn't living with them didn't mean that she didn't care. The X-Men were her family. She cared what happened to them. Even a call from Ororo didn't calm her down. Logan figured that he better confront the situation before she really lost her temper and started paffing people. He sat her down in his room and talked to her about what was going on.

"Darlin', ya need to get a grip on yer temper before ya hurt someone." he told her.

"Didn't anyone think I'd be interested in what was going on here?" she demanded. "This is my family, Wolvie. I have the right ta know what's happenin' here."

"I know," he said. "There was a mix up when Jean died. I thought Cyke had called ya and he thought I had. It was a real confusin' time."

"But it hasn't been that long. Why is he with Emma?"

"Their marriage was fallin' apart before she died," he sighed. "They were headin' fer a divorce."

"Was it you?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"No," he told her. "I was away most of that time."

"Would you have moved in?"

"Nah," he said. "Jeannie didn't want me and I don't think she's what I needed."

"And yer okay with it?"

"Yeah. I loved her but she wasn't fer me. I know that now. She needed someone that she could control and I ain't that man."

"And Scott was?"

"Evidently not."

"But why Frosty? That's just too weird."

"I ain't thrilled with it myself," Logan admitted. "I still don't trust her. I think it may have started before Jean died."

"Scott was having an affair with Emma?" Jubilee gasped.

"Yeah. Emma moved in a few months before Jeannie died. Every so often, I'd catch a whiff of lust from her. Most of the time, she was with Cyke when I smelled it but I never smelled her on him so I don't think they started sleepin' together until after she died."

"What about Alex and Bobby? Last I heard, Alex was dead."

"Bobby was datin' Lorna. Everyone thought Alex was dead then we got a call from a nurse in a long term care hospital. Alex was in a coma. Cyke went and brought him home and brung the nurse with him. Annie was her name. When Chuck was able ta wake him up, Alex and Lorna got back together. They were gonna get married but Lorna went nuts the day of the weddin'. Popsicle got shoved outta the way and started ta go out with Annie. After Lorna lost it and left, Alex went after Annie and took her away from Bobby."

"Poor Bobby," she moaned. "He can't get a break."

"When Lorna came back, Alex dropped Annie and went back ta her. Things have been a little tense fer awhile."

"What else has been goin' on that I don't know?"

"Cain Marco's been livin' here."

"Juggernaut?" she goggled, her eyes wide in shock.

"Yeah," Logan growled. "Chuck says he's reformed but I don't trust him."

"Where's he now?"

"He went to talk ta the mom of a kid that was killed when Black Tom attacked the mansion. He ain't been back since."

"Sheesh!" she exclaimed. "It's like a regular soap opera here."

"Now ya know why I ain't been here too often." he said with a smile. "Have ya called yer Aunt Hope?"

"'Bout an hour ago," she told him. "She wasn't home but I left a message. I'm gonna let you call the school and explain where I've been."

"Not me" he protested. "I'll have Chuck do it."

"Chicken," she teased.

"When it comes ta high school principals," he shrugged. "I ain't yer guardian so Chuck will hafta call and do some manipulation. I need ta find out why ya were taken before I send ya back,"

"Yeah," she agreed, "that was weird. They knew I was a mutant so it had ta have been someone from the old days. No one I know in LA now knows about me except Aunt Hope and Shane."

"This Shane guy," Logan said. "How well do ya know him?"

"He has powers kinda like mine. I don't think he'd turn me in. He knows I'm stronger than him and I have a temper."

"What about yer Aunt Hope?"

"Oh, Wolvie, ya can't believe Aunt Hope would have anything ta do with this."

"I don't know darlin'. Stranger things have happened. How much do ya know about her?"

"Not that much," She admitted. "She travels a lot so we really don't see each other all that often."

"What does she do?"

"I'm not really sure."

Logan said nothing. He had never met Jubilee's Aunt Hope so he couldn't make a judgment. He wanted her to be pure as the driven snow for Jubilee's sake. The girl deserved a safe place somewhere in her life. God knows, he never provided one. Even here at the mansion, she wasn't safe. When Jubilee told him that she was moving to LA to live with her aunt, he had thought that she had finally found the safety she needed. It appeared that he was wrong.

"Wolvie?" she said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Let me check it out before ya go home." he told her. "I wanna make sure yer gonna be safe."

"Alright," she agreed, "but don't take forever. I've missed too much school as it is."

"I won't, darlin'," he promised. "I just want ta find out who took ya and why."


	12. Chapter 12

"Will this hurt?" Tessa asked as Hank helped her into the Shi'ar scanner.

"Not at all," he assured her. "You may even fall asleep. Many people do."

She closed her eyes as the table slid into the cylinder. She never liked closed in spaces. It wasn't a true claustrophobia but it came close. The large, blue furred doctor had assured her that the scan would be quick but very detailed. She hoped so. She didn't want to have to repeat this anytime soon.

She had the time to think while she was in the scanner. The X-Men were a wonder to her. So many different mutations were represented here. Some were hidden. Jean and Jubilee appeared completely normal, but there were others, like Hank and Kurt, that were so far away from normal that she couldn't help but be amazed and a little curious. How does someone so different deal with the rest of the world without becoming jaded and disillusioned?

She liked these people. They accepted others, and themselves, for who they are, not what they looked like. They had accepted her even though she wasn't a mutant. They didn't trust her but that was okay. Right now, the only person she trusted completely was herself. She trusted Logan and Jubilee but not completely. Logan told her this was a good thing. Trust is earned, not given. The only person he trusted completely was Jubilee. Tessa believed that he didn't trust himself as much as he did Jubilee.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the bed slid out of the scanner.

"I found it," Hank told her as he helped her up.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Can she access the data on the chip?" Xavier asked several hours later.

"I doubt it," Hank told him. "It's implanted near the base of her brain stem. If it were in her cerebellum, it's possible that she could with your help but the brain stem has no processing ability. It controls autonomic nervous functions and none of the higher, thinking functions. I don't think it's a data chip anyway. The nearest analog would be the identification chips that are frequently implanted in household pets. Occasionally, you will see them implanted in children"

"How long has it been there?"

"From the amount of scar tissue present, I would estimate it was placed approximately six months ago."

"Does she remember any incident that correlates to that time?"

"She had a minor surgical procedure around that time, a D&C. It was evidently done at a private hospital in San Antonio in July of last year. They could have taken the opportunity to place the chip then but it would have taken a skilled neurosurgeon to do it. San Antonio is thin on neurosurgeons so it won't be that difficult to find the one responsible."

"Can you remove it?"

"Not without doing irreparable harm to her brain." Hank admitted. "I am not a neurosurgeon."

"Will it harm her if it stays in place?"

"I don't think so. It is sutured to the dura so I don't think it will migrate."

"How could she not know she had brain surgery?" Xavier wondered.

"The surgeon was very skilled. I have never seen such precision by anyone before. The incision was hidden in her hair and it was very small. They could have told her that she thrashed while coming out of anesthesia and struck her head. Anyway," Hank sighed as he stood, "we will need to find a chip scanner to read it. The best place to look would be an animal hospital or a shelter. It's possible we could get one from the police but that would entail answering questions that shouldn't be answered at this time."

"Would a reader intended for animals work on this one?"

"The principle is the same for both. We may not be able to access the information on the chip but the code should give us a clue as to where the information is. Kitty could help us look. The majority of the time, this information is on the internet. You just need to know where to find it."

Gambit was mildly offended when Xavier asked him to break into the local vet's office and 'borrow' the chip scanner from the office. Why couldn't he do something more interesting, like taking the scanner from the police station? When he returned to the mansion, he was in a high temper indeed. Security was such a joke that Cyclops could have grabbed the scanner.

Remy flatly refused to return the scanner. He had never in his life returned an object he had stolen and he was not about to start with such a paltry thing as that. Ororo ended up returning it over Gambit's objections. Storm was a thief. Returning anything was a disgrace to the guild.

The code Hank found on the chip made no sense to him at all. Kitty, who responded to a video call from the mansion, was able to point him in the right direction but Jubilee, who can be sneakier than most, was the one who found the information. It was in an obscure SHIELD database.

Logan was beyond furious

"Ya knew!" he accused Fury in a heated phone call.

"Of course I knew," Fury scoffed. "You don't think I'd not know what is going on with the kids of every yahoo in DC? The problem was that we didn't know exactly where the information was. I needed Ms. Madison for that and they grabbed her before I could have her picked up."

"And ya didn't think I should know?" he demanded.

"I couldn't do anything officially," Fury told him. "Westerleigh came to me after I arranged lunch with you. I couldn't turn him down so I decided to change my plans. At least I made sure she had some protection until you could get to her." Realization hit Logan like a sledge hammer.

"You son of a bitch!" Logan exploded. "Yer dead! I swear, I'll kill ya!"

"Chill out, Wolverine. She's alive and back home."

"She almost got killed! Ya don't dick around with me when it comes to Jubilee and ya know it."

"I don't have an agent in the age group the slavers are targeting. Jubilee's in that age group."

"So ya decided ta recruit my little girl?" Logan yelled.

"She ain't a little girl anymore, Logan. She's a powerful mutant who is very well trained. She was the best choice to infiltrate the camp and protect Tessa."

"Did ya ask her first?"

"I can't do that! She's a minor."

Logan growled in anger. "Did ya even think about askin' her aunt or here's a concept; how 'bout askin' ME?" he demanded.

"Hope Lee is in your old stompin' grounds; Madripoor, and I knew what you'd say."

There would be no getting ahold of her if she was in Madripoor. If you wanted to disappear, Madripoor was where you went. Logan's temper was frayed to the limit. Fury had no right involving Jubilee in this. "Goddamn right ya know what I'd say." he yelled.

"I'll take it from here Logan," Scott said from behind him. "Emma heard and you're too angry right now. Go work some of it off and I'll take care of this dickhead."

Logan looked up to see Scott Summers and Emma Frost standing on the other side of the room, identical masks of rage on their faces. Logan knew he had every right to yell at Fury but coming from Cyclops, it would be official: The X-Men were pissed at SHIELD and no longer willing to put up with any more of their shit.

Logan nodded sharply and handed the phone to Cyclops.

"If we're goin' after him, I want in," he told Emma as he passed her.

"We won't," she said, "but we won't be working with them any longer." She grabbed his arm before he could leave. He looked down at her hand with surprised anger. "Tell Jubilee before she finds out from someone else."

"Frost," he growled, "unless ya want ta loose yer hand, ya'll move it." She released him and let him leave.

"Fury," Scott was saying, "the X-Men will have nothing more to do with SHIELD and if you value your life, you'll stay away from Wolverine for the next twenty years and Jubilee for the rest of her life."

"Ya really think Wolverine would do anything to me?" Fury asked smugly.

"What Logan does is his own business but if SHIELD gets within one mile of Jubilation Lee, I'll kill you myself." Cyclops slammed the phone down. He raised his hands to run them through his hair and found that he was shaking with rage.

"Scott?" Emma called softly.

"I'm going to the Danger Room," he snapped at her. "Cancel training for this afternoon." He swept past her without touching her and strode down the hall. She could feel the rage pouring off of him. The next few days were going to be difficult.

Cyclops and Wolverine spent a companionable four hours together beating the shit out of the robots in the Danger Room. At Scott's suggestion, every one of them wore Nick Fury's face. By the time they had regained control of their tempers, all the robots in storage were torn to very small bits. They didn't stop because the wanted to; they stopped because they ran out of targets.

They debated working on holographic targets but decided it was too close to dinnertime and quit. Scott told Logan what he has said to Fury and Logan agreed. He got Scott's promise that if SHIELD tried anything, Logan would be in on the action.

He returned to his room with his emotions in much better control. A noise from Jubilee's room made him pause outside the door.

"He doesn't know David kissed you?" Tessa was saying. Logan found that he was growling softly.

"I don't want him to know," Jubilee replied. "Wolvie can be very unreasonable when it comes to my sex life."

"It was just a kiss, Jubes. You didn't sleep with him."

"It doesn't matter," Jubilee said as she flopped onto the bed. "He gets all growly if a guy even touches my arm. I love him 'n all but he won't let me grow up. I mean, it ain't like I'm a virgin, ya know." The last comment was made with a small sob.

Tessa waited until Jubilee had regained her composure. "You're not a slut, Jubilee." she said quietly. "Don't let that bastard make you into one. If you do, he'll never go away and leave you alone. Don't give him that kind of power over you."

She watched as the girl struggled to control her emotions. "I was seventeen," she told her softly. "He was a junior Senator. Daddy had asked me to go to a reception with him for some Ambassador at the Plaza Hotel. I really didn't want to go. I had finals the next week and I wanted to study but a request from Daddy might as well be an order. There were a bunch of celebrities in the crowd and I was nervous so had a couple of drinks to calm my nerves. I had hidden my books in a small room near the ballroom so I could sneak away and study. One time, he followed me. He didn't beat me. God, I wish he had. I could have recovered faster if he had. I never told Daddy what happened."

Jubilee sat there, wringing her hands. "I was fourteen," she said, the pain in her voice hit Tessa hard. "The school was attacked and I got separated from the others. Bastian found me and pulled me out of the fray. I thought he was saving me. Next thing I know, I'm in this cage and he's asking questions. He wanted to know where the X-Men had their home. He threw an old, beat up visor of Cyke's at me and said he was dead but I'm not that stupid. No matter what he told me, I wouldn't believe it unless I could touch him and feel that he was dead. He put me in a straightjacket and crammed a helmet on my head that read my thoughts and dreams. He tried to get me to believe that he had Wolvie and was torturing him. He would ask me where home was. I finally came to realize that home was where ever Wolvie was.

"He caught them in the end. I saw the bring my family in. Wolvie was so badly hurt that they were just going to cremate him. He broke free and got the rest free but they couldn't get out of the Hulkbuster base. Bastian brought me to the control room to watch them try to break out of the blast shields. When he wasn't looking, I slammed my head against the control panel and opened the doors. He was so mad that he threw me to the guards and let them do whatever they wanted." she started shaking. The memories were so vivid. "Oh god! It hurt so bad! They beat me so bad that I couldn't even breathe without pain. Then the rapes started." She began to whimper.

Tessa found that she wanted to protect this child, to go back and remove this ugly incident from her life, but she knew she couldn't. She did not try to stop her words. Jubilee needed to talk about it and come to terms with what happened.

"I went back to school when I got back. A month later, I missed my period. Emma helped me take care of it. She paid for the abortion." Tears were flowing down her cheeks. "I didn't want to but I didn't have a choice. I couldn't have a baby. I was just a kid myself."

Tessa pulled her into her arms and held her. There was not anything she could say to make her feel better. In time, Jubilee would understand that she did what she had to do. In time, she would be whole again as long as she had people she could depend on to support her and love her.

Neither knew that Jubilee's primary support had overheard their conversation and was curled in a ball of agony beside her door.

He somehow found the strength to get to his feet and cross the hall to his room. After closing and locking the door, he grabbed a towel and went into the bathroom to turn on the shower. When the water was hot enough, he stripped out of his clothes and stepped into the shower. Only then did he give in to the tears that had lodged in his throat and cried.

Logan is not a man who cries easily but there are things that happen that can rip his heart out. He never let anyone know that "Brian's Song" could reduce him to tears or that he couldn't watch "Forest Gump" with the rest of the team for the same reason.

Jubilee was his best friend, his only confidant and his partner in crime. Her pain went through him and ripped open his body like nothing ever had before.

"She was fourteen!" he cried to the air. "She was just a little girl, dammit!"

He had no idea how long he stayed there, sitting on the floor of the shower with hot water pounding down on his head and tears streaming down his face. Finally, he reined in his emotions and turned off the water. He needed to talk to Emma. He quickly dried, dressed and left the room in search of the White Queen.

He found her in the sunroom talking to the three identical girls who were the surviving Stepford Cuckoos.

"Need ta talk ta ya, Frost." he interrupted.

Emma looked at him coldly. A quick mental probe told her what he wanted to talk about. She sighed heavily. She had hoped he would never find out.

"I will talk to you later," she told the girls. "Go back to your studies and no peeking."

He waited until the girls had left and the door was closed before turning back to Emma.

"Why didn't ya tell me?" he asked, his anger simmering below the surface.

"She would have told you herself if she wanted you to know." Emma said haughtily. "It's her body, Wolverine. She didn't need you to second guess her decision."

"I'm not second guessing her decision, Em." he yelled angrily. "I think she made the right choice but I would've liked to have been there for her."

"Dammit, Logan, I wanted her to tell you," she told him, just as angry. "I thought she needed you to be there for her. She wouldn't even let _me_ go with her. God, Logan. I tried to get her to call you."

He whirled away from her, unable to look at her anymore. She could hear his ragged breathing as he struggled to control his temper. His shoulders were shaking. Emma sent an questioning probe into his mind and gasped. He was crying. Never in her life would she have thought she would witness Wolverine cry.

A look of sympathy came over her face. "She never wanted you to find out," she told him softly. "She knew it would hurt you and she didn't want you hurt."

"My pain is nothing compared to hers. God, Em. What kind of a world do we live in where grown men would do that to a little girl?"

"How did you find out?" she asked. "She hasn't told me anything about what happened. She just came to me and told me she was pregnant."

"She told Tessa," he said. "Her room is across from mine so I couldn't help but hear."

"She told Tessa?" Emma asked, astonished. "Why did she tell her and not us?"

"Tessa was raped when she was seventeen," Logan said. "I guess Jubes felt that she would understand where we wouldn't."

"Oh god," Emma gasped. Logan looked at her stricken face. "I should have told her."

"Emma?" Logan asked.

"I should have told her what happened to me." She ran out of the sunroom. He could smell her anguish as she passed him.

"Oh, Emma." he moaned. "How many more will suffer before we learn to behave ourselves?"


	13. Chapter 13

It was the next morning before he could bring himself to confront Jubilee about what he had overheard. Her reaction was about what he had expected in a lot of ways. She was angry at him for listening to her conversation with Tessa but also relieved that she didn't have to keep it a secret from him anymore.

She told him everything she had not told Tessa. She told him about the attempts to get her to tell Bastian where the X-Men were, about the mind games he had played with her for a month. She went into more detail about the beatings and torture but refused to discuss the rapes. She admitted that she was raped but not what was done to her. She could see that her stories about the beatings were taking their toll on him. She didn't think he could handle the rest.

When she was done talking, he just held her. Had she been older, he would have helped her overcome the trauma by making love to her and proving that she is still a desirable woman, but he couldn't. She was only seventeen. The best he could do was to be there for her and let her talk. Eventually, she would come to terms with what happened and grow beyond it.

He sat on the bed with her cuddled in his arms, thinking. His first instinct was to take her and flee to Canada to protect her. It was almost overwhelming. He kept telling himself that the hurt was over and Bastian was dead but it didn't help much. He still had the urge to take her away from the pain.

"We can't leave, Wolvie." she told him quietly.

"How'd ya know that was what I was thinkin'?" he asked, surprised.

"I know you," she told him. "Your knee-jerk response when I'm hurt is to run either from me or with me. It won't help this time. The pain'll follow me this time."

"What do ya need me ta do?"

"Just be there for me." she told him. "I need to get over this on my own and you being there to chase away the demons will help."

"Ya need ta talk about it ta someone." he insisted.

"I talked to Emma last night. I haven't told her everything but it helped. I didn't have the nightmare last night."

Logan felt a wave a jealousy wash over him. She would talk to Emma but not to him. For most of her life, Jubilee could tell him anything. Now, she was keeping secrets from him and shutting him out of her life.

"Darlin', I wish you would talk ta me." he told her. "There's nothin' ya can say that'll make me think anythin' less of ya. Yer my best friend and my partner. Yer the most important person in my life. Please don't shut me out."

Jubilee's pain filled eyes met his. "I don't want ta shut you out, Wolvie." she told him quietly. "I can't say the words right now. With Emma, I don't have to. She looks into my mind and sees what happened. I love ya, Logan, but I need time ta deal with it in my head before I can tell you everything."

He brushed her hair away from her eyes with a gentle finger. "I'll be here when yer ready." he promised.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Tessa, phone." Bobby Drake yelled up the stairs.

Scott stopped suddenly in his tracks. He was hoping to get a cup of coffee before starting the day but that hope was dashed with Iceman's loud call to their visitor.

"What do you mean 'Tessa, phone'?" he asked Bobby. "Who knows she's here?"

"Some guy asking for Tessa Madison." Bobby told him with a shrug.

"Give me that phone," he snarled. He grabbed the receiver from Bobby and took a deep breath, exhaling loudly. He hit the hold button and spoke to the caller. "Scott Summers. May I help you?"

"May I speak to Tessa Madison?" the deep male voice asked.

"I'm sorry," Scott apologized, "there's no Tessa Madison here."

"Don't give me that bull," the man said angrily. "I know Logan took her there. I want to speak to my daughter, right now."

"Sir, there is no need to yell at me. Your daughter is not here." Scott became very formal as his anger rose.

"Listen, you mutie freak," Westerleigh yelled, "you put Tessa on the phone right now or I'll have your head."

"I am not going to listen to your insults." Scott snarled. He slammed the phone down and turned to Bobby. "She isn't here and I won't take any calls from him."

"What do you want me to do when he calls again?" Bobby asked.

"Send his calls to Sage's voice mail." Scott instructed. "She's been gone for over a year. We can afford to fill her mailbox with the garbage he's going to spew."

"What if she checks her messages?"

"She doesn't. She calls me to get updates. Next time she calls, I'll let her know why her mailbox is full."

Strangely enough, Senator Westerleigh didn't attempt to call back. That night, he arrived at the mansion with twenty-five FBI agents in tow.

"Battle dress, everyone." Scott ordered over the mansion intercom.

"What's going on?" Tessa asked Jubilee as the younger girl pulled on her Generation X uniform.

"Not sure." Jubilee told her. "Someone's at the gate with lots of guns. The mansion's been blown up a bunch of times and Cyke doesn't want it ta happen again."

She pulled her mask down and fluffed her hair over the strap.

"Try ta stay out of the line of fire." Jubilee instructed. "The safest place for ya is the control center. I'll drop ya off before I go out."

"You're going out there?" Tessa demanded.

"This is what I'm trained for. I'll be fine. Wolvie won't let me get hurt."

"Ya ready, darlin'?" Wolverine asked from the door. Tessa could see the glimmer of excitement in his eyes. He was actually anticipating this conflict.

"Just let me drop Tessa off at the War Room and I'll be right behind ya."

Jubilee guided Tessa through the maze of corridors to the lower level War Room presently being presided over by Bishop. The time traveling mutant was studying the ring of men surrounding the outer wall of the estate with a fierce frown. Every monitor in the room was active, showing a number of moving figures in the woods just beyond the walls.

A glance from him made Tessa seat herself as far from him as she could and still remain in the room. He was the first mutant she felt uncomfortable around. No, she had to be honest with herself: He was the first mutant that frightened her, and he didn't even speak to her.

"Don't worry about Bish." Jubilee told her. "He looks mean but..."

"I am mean." he announced in a rumbling bass.

"Well..., yeah." Jubilee agreed. "But he'll make sure ya stay safe. Don't leave until me or Wolvie comes and gets ya."

Tessa wasn't paying attention. Her eye was caught by the tall figure on the center monitor.

"Daddy?" she gasped.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jubilee ran through the halls of the mansion, trying to get to the action before it was over. She hoped Wolvie would be nice enough to leave at least one for her. She knew that these men were not responsible for her kidnapping. That crime was laying at the feet of Nick Fury but they may have been the ones who hurt Tessa and killed her friend. If there was one thing Jubilee couldn't tolerate was the pain of a friend, even if the pain occurred before that person was a friend. She was going to make sure Tessa's friend was avenged and the person responsible for her pain paid the price.

She skidded out of the front door to find the battle in full swing. She quickly found her partner in the middle of a pack of BDU clad forms, swinging for all he was worth. He had not yet popped his claws so no one had died as of yet. He had an unholy look of glee on his face.

She quickly paffed the soldier coming up behind him with a knife drawn. He winked at her and smiled hugely.

"Grab yerself one, Jubes." he yelled. "Been goin' easy on 'em so ya'd have one when ya got here."

"Thanks, Wolvie." she yelled as she threw herself into the fray. "Yer the best."

When she was younger, Jubilee was a top notch gymnast who's bright future had many coaches eager to train her. She had the best training money could buy until her parents died and the money suddenly disappeared along with the willing coaching. From then on, she taught herself.

Street life taught her many things. First and foremost was never pull your punches.

She took out her first victim with a mule kick to the groin followed by a hard fist to the kidney.

As she whirled to face her next target only to find Wolverine looking at her with respect.

"You don't take it easy on 'em, do ya?" The ground behind him was littered with moaning and unconscious men.

"Never." she confirmed. "Duck."

He dropped to the ground just as she paffed the woman emerging from the trees with a rifle. Her aim was so good that the only thing she hit was the gun. The woman dropped the suddenly red hot weapon quickly.

Jubilee heard Wolverine viciously swear behind her. She looked over her shoulder to find Tessa in her father's arms, his left arm wrapped around her waist pinning her arms down and a pistol pointed at her head in his right hand. He was staring straight at Cyclops. They ran over to the other mutants to listen to what Westerleigh was saying.

"I'm taking her now, dead or alive." the Senator was telling Cyclops.

"She's your daughter!" Cyclops argued. "Don't you even care about her?"

"Hardly." he scoffed. "If she hadn't distracted my Elizabeth, she would still be alive. I should have killed the brat then. She's been nothing but trouble since the day she was born."

A stunned silence fell over the group broken by Tessa's sob of pain.

Wolverine's head came up sharply as an unfamiliar scent reached him.

"Someone's comin'." he whispered to Emma.

"She took my wife from me." Westerleigh was ranting. "She's not taking the Presidency from me."

"He's crazy!" Jubilee murmured to Wolverine. "We hafta do something. He's gonna kill her."

He was not paying attention to her. His hard eyes were scanning the woods closely, his nose twitching. She recognized the posture. He had caught a scent that he didn't recognize.

_There's someone out there,_ Emma told her in her mind. _I can't get a fix on him. Every time I come close, he slips away._

_Can you get to Cerebra? _Jubilee asked.

_Not without drawing his eye. Any movement at all could make him kill her. Dammit, I wish Sage was here._

A movement out of the corner of her eye almost made Jubilee turn. She remembered her training just in time. She broadened her senses and began to search. She felt the presence but it was not static. It kept flitting from place to place.

"Is Nightcrawler here?" she whispered to Wolverine.

"Nope." he replied in the same low whisper. "He's in England."

Just as he spoke, a cloud of white smoke appeared beside Westerleigh and resolved into a tall man. He knocked the gun out of the surprised Senator's hand and snatched Tessa from his arms. With another cloud and a pop, they disappeared.

Jubilee quickly paffed the stunned man, knocking him off his feet and blinding him.

"Go find her," she told her partner. "We'll take care of him."

He turned and sniffed. The stranger's scent was very different from Nightcrawler's. Kurt's teleportation was accompanied by the scent of sulfur and brimstone. This new teleporter left the scent of old red wine and dust. He was not that hard to track but he was hard to pin down. After three different moves, Wolverine was finally able to catch him and bring him to the mansion. Tessa obviously knew the man and was angry with him.

"You could have told me you were a mutant." she ranted at him. "I've known you for seven years. I dated you for three and you still didn't trust me enough to tell me."

"Come on, Tess," he argued. "I didn't know how you felt about mutants. We never talked about it."

"You could have said something when I found the uniform in your apartment."

"I didn't know about the uniform until two days before you were kidnapped. You never told me that you found it. Anyway, it obviously isn't mine."

"I know that now." she yelled.

They had made it back to the front of the mansion. The rest of the team were gathered around the blubbering Senator who was flinching every time one of them came near him.

"Someone want to explain what is going on?" Cyclops asked.

"The good Senator has been selling nucs to terrorists." Nick Fury said as he walked out of the trees.

Wolverine began to growl which was echoed by Cyclops. His vision went red as his conversation with the head of SHIELD echoed in his head. The last thing he remembered was leaping at the bigger man with his claws bared.

"That'll keep him down for about half an hour." Rogue said as she pulled her glove back on. "Y'all better explain quick. Ah got his memory of the phone call." The Logan in her head was desperate to get at Fury and kill him. She was having trouble controlling him. It did not help that her own personality wanted to kill the big man as well. The Logan presence didn't care that it was wrong. Fury had place his Jubilee in a dangerous situation and needed to pay. Rogue, on the other hand, knew it was wrong. That was the only thing keeping her from killing him.

"You bastard," Cyclops snarled. "You have some nerve coming here."

He took several steps toward Fury, rage clear on his face. He stopped when he felt Rogues hand on his arm.

"Don't make me touch you, too." she warned. "Ah'm havin' enough trouble controllin' Logan."

"Do you know what he did?" he yelled.

"Yeah, Ah know." she said. "Give him time ta explain. Then we'll kill him."

Scott turned to Fury. "Well?" he growled.

"Westerleigh has been selling nucs to Middle East terrorists for about five years." He began. "As far as we can tell, they bought about ten of them but we don't know who and we don't know where they are. Most of the information we could find only told half of the story. We needed all of it so we could get them back and punish him for the treasonist bastard he is. I found out that Ms. Madison was the lynch pin the morning she was kidnapped or I would have picked her up myself."

SHIELD agent swarmed over the grounds collecting Westerleigh and the rogue FBI agents. Most were unconscious or hurt too bad to resist.

"And what about me?" Jubilee demanded. "Why did you have me kidnapped?"

"What?" Bobby yelled.

"He had you kidnapped?" Alex demanded.

Angry shouts echoed across the grounds. Fury's voice rose above the noise.

"I didn't have a choice." he hollered. "The slavers were targeting women sixteen to twenty-one. I don't have anyone that fits the profile. I needed someone who could be a believable slave but could protect Ms. Madison at the same time. Jubilee was the logical choice. I'm sorry I didn't ask before hand but I didn't have much time."

"You looked at the data, Jubilee." Scott said. "How much of this is true?"

"About Westerleigh, all of it." she confirmed. "I know what he sold and who he sold it to. I also know about the bribes that he has been floating around. He's been a bad boy."

"And he was set up to become our next President." Fury told them.

"As to what he did to me, I can't tell you. I didn't have access to the internal memos."

"Then who hired the slavers?" Scott asked.

"I did." the strange mutant told him.

"Brad?" Tessa said. "What are you talking about?"

"This is your ex?" Jubilee asked.

"Yeah." Tessa said. "Why did you have them kidnap me?" she asked him.

"I had to get you out of the country." he explained. "Your father found out about the chip I had implanted and was going to have you killed and dissected to get it. He would have done anything to keep that information out of official hands."

"Why use me? You could have hidden the files anywhere."

"I had to put them in the last place he would look. He would have never suspected that his own daughter would be carrying the files around in her head."

"Why didn't you turn them over to SHIELD?" Fury asked.

"You have a mole." Brad told him. "Westerleigh knew the moment you decided to go after him. He would have covered his tracks."

"And you know this how?" Fury growled.

"I have spies in your organization as well." he admitted. "For an agency that lives on secrets, you have a lot of holes you need to plug."


	14. Chapter 14

"You're coming with me." Fury told him through clenched teeth.

"I have no problem with explaining what I've found, Colonel, but I need to explain to Tessa why I did what I did." Brad told the furious spy. "I owe her an explanation."

"Make it snappy." Fury ordered. He signaled the waiting agents who had gathered the unconscious or injured rogues and dragged them off to the waiting helicopters

Brad grabbed Tessa by the arm and pulled her away from the crowd.

"Don't think of tryin' anything." Jubilee warned him. "I was taught to track by the best there is."

"I won't try anything, young lady." he assured her. "I only want to tell her in private."

"Around a telepath?" Emma said archly.

"You'd intrude on our conversation?" he asked.

"To keep Tessa safe, yes." she informed him.

He thought for a moment.

"You may collar me if you wish." he told her.

"I'll keep a nose on him." Wolverine said groggily from his position on the ground beside his partner.

"Wolvie!" Jubilee gasped. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, darlin'." he said as she helped him to sit up. "I ain't gonna be movin' too quick fer a while but I'll live."

"Don't leave our line of sight." Scott told Brad, his eyes never leaving Fury. "If you do, I will give the order to kill you."

"Stand down, Cyclops." Fury said as Brad took Tessa a few yards from the group. "I ain't here to make trouble. I'm just going to arrest these bozo's and leave."

"You used me!" Tessa hissed at Brad as he pulled her a short distance away.

"I didn't have a choice!" he argued. "I had to hide the information. He tore my offices apart looking the day after I had the implant placed."

"But having me kidnapped?"

"I had to get you away from the assassin he placed with you. I couldn't do it on US soil so I had a friend bring in the slavers. They were paid to hold you but also to protect you."

"And what about Carol's murder?" she demanded.

"Who the hell do you think was the assassin?" he countered.

She was speechless. Carol? An assassin?

"Carol Rousch had been an assassin since she was sixteen." he told her. "Your father hired her to get close to you and keep an eye on you. He's been planning to have you killed so he can run for president on the pity platform. Your murder would have brought him sympathy and votes. It would have made him nearly untouchable. When I got word that he had given the order to have you killed, I ordered her removed and you taken to protect you. I never wanted to get you hurt."

"You're lying!" she screeched.

"No, he ain't, darlin'." Logan said from behind her.

She turned to face him.

"I can smell a lie and he ain't lyin'." he told her. "We always thought there was somethin' squirly about this and what he says makes sense, in a underhanded sorta way."

"But Carol, an assassin?" she asked, incredulously.

"The easiest way ta kill a man is ta get someone close to 'em." he instructed. "That's why the X-Men check out every Secret Service agent on the presidential detail. We mind scan every one on 'em a coupla times a year, just ta make sure."

"But ..." She was having trouble believing that her best friend of four years was hired to kill her.

"She would have done it, Tessa." Brad told her. "She was trained by the Hand. She would have had no problem with killing you."

"Wait a minute." Wolverine drawled. "If she was Hand trained, how did yer people get close enough ta kill her?"

"The bartender drugged her drink with a powerful narcotic that she had never come up against before." Brad explained. "Tessa was given a much smaller dose so she could be taken without anyone noticing."

Wolverine nodded. It was not what he would have done but he was a mutant and could handle whatever the Hand could dish out.

"Why didn't it show up in the autopsy?" Tessa demanded.

"Do you think your father would allow an autopsy on her?" he asked. "She was chemically enhanced in a way that would have pointed directly at the Hand. They would have sold him out for the right amount of money. If the government had gotten involved, they would have found out who hired her fairly quickly."

"Logan?" Tessa turned to him. "Is that true?"

Logan sighed and nodded. "If they were doin' it fer they're own reasons, ya couldn't get 'em ta talk fer nothin'. Since they were paid ta kill ya, whoever came up with the most money would get the goods."

"I'm sorry, Tessa." Brad said. "I didn't want you to get hurt."

A uniformed SHIELD agent approached the group, a Genoshan collar in his hands. "Mr. Bolen." he said.

"I have to go." he said to Tessa. "If you can find it in yourself to talk to me, I'll be in SHIELD custody."

Brad lifted his chin and allowed the agent to lock the collar around his neck. Handcuffs went around his wrists. He looked at her once more before the agent steered him to the waiting hovercraft.

"Can I ever trust a man again?" she asked Logan as she watched Brad being loaded into the vehicle.

"We ain't all bad, Tessa." he told her. "Ya had a bad experience but ya need ta get over it. Some of us actually like and respect women. Jim's like that."

She turned to him and gave him a hug. "Jubilee's so lucky to have you." she said into his shoulder.

"Nah." he said with a smile, giving her a tight squeeze. "I'm lucky ta have her."

He gave her one last embrace and released her, stepping back. "Why don't ya go ta bed. I'll take ya back to San Antonio in the mornin'."

"I'll catch a flight tomorrow." she told him. "You should spend more time with your family."

They walked back to where Jubilee was waiting for them. She had a pleased look on her face. Her new friend was safe now, she was with her Wolvie and all was right with her world.

"If you guys are ever in Texas, look me up." Tessa told them. "I guess I have a ranch in Kerrville now so I have plenty of room."

"What are ya going to do about the ranch?" Jubilee asked as she threw an arm around Logan's waist. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug.

Tessa couldn't help smiling. They were so cute together. "I'm going to move out there." she told them. "The ranch has been in my family almost two hundred years. It already has enough hands that I don't need to look for people and the landscape is wonderful. I'll have years to discover the best angles to paint."

"Sounds like ya been thinkin' about it fer awhile." Logan commented.

"I've always wanted to move out to the ranch but Daddy made it clear I wasn't welcome there." she told him. "Now that he's going to spend a great deal of time as a guest of the department of corrections, I can do what I want. It'll bite his butt to know that I live there now."

"Are you okay with all this?" Jubilee asked.

"It hurts." she admitted. "Daddy and I never got along but he's family."

"Well, now yer part of the X family," Logan told her, "and we take care of our own. If ya ever need anythin', let us know."

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and smiled. "Thanks." she told him. "That means a lot. I'm going to bed. I'm going to catch the first morning flight so I'll be gone when you wake up. Thanks you two, for everything."

They watched as she walked up to the house.

"C'mon, darlin'." Logan said. "Let's get ya ta bed."

"I have to go home, Wolvie." she said as they walked back to the house.

"I know darlin'." he said sadly. "Can ya stay a day or two before ya go? I'd like ta have ya to myself fer a little bit."

"I'd like that." she said shyly. Arm in arm, they walked into the mansion.

Tessa watched them from the window in the den. The one person in her life who was supposed to love her had rejected her for something that had happened when she was a child but now, she had a whole new family. One that would accept her, even if she screwed up. She liked and admired these people. They were real. They were honest. They were all that her real family should have been but weren't. The old saying was right. When God closed a door, somewhere, He opened a window.

Finis


End file.
